


In the Moment (we're lost and found)

by callistawolf



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Captives, Dry Humping, F/M, First Kiss, Forced Pregnancy, I'm holding off on other tags until more of the story is revealed!, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Medical Trauma, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Mystery, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Pregnancy, Reunion Fic, Romance, Smut, post-4x19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:16:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 58,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callistawolf/pseuds/callistawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her first thought was “this room is too bright.” Blinking her eyes open, she saw nothing but white. Blurry white.  Floors, walls, ceiling… the bed she was laying on had white sheets, pillows and blankets. There was a white curtain in the corner of the room. A metal table and two chairs sat against the wall opposite the bed. There was no window. The single door was shut. It was a total absence of anything else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm trying something new. I'm going to post this fic as I write it. Terrifying? YES. But maybe this will motivate me to keep writing. I can only hope! So your feedback is MUCH appreciated because it will give me the push to keep going! I have this whole fic planned out, but not entirely written. 
> 
> Title comes from Birdy's "Wings", an excellent song.

**P A R T  O N E**

Her head pounded, the pain radiating from one side of her head to the other, washing over her in waves before she even opened her eyes. There was a lingering sense of frightened panic before that faded away in the light of the pain. She sucked in a breath and was startled at the echo that small sound made. It was a struggle to open her eyes at first and once she did, she immediately regretted it.

Her first thought was “ _this room is too bright_.” Blinking her eyes open, she saw nothing but white. _Blurry_ white.Floors, walls, ceiling… the bed she was laying on had white sheets, pillows and blankets. There was a white curtain in the corner of the room. A metal table and two chairs sat against the wall opposite the bed. There was no window. The single door was shut. It was a total absence of _anything_ else. 

Her head hurt, her vision swimming a little as she blinked to clear her eyes. She might have thought this was the worst headache she’d ever had but… she couldn’t remember. 

In fact, she couldn’t remember _anything_. Feeling her heart start to pound, she sat up and tried to remember how she got to this unbearably white room. She couldn’t. She tried to remember anything from before she was here and came up horrifyingly blank. In fact…

What was her name? Who was she? Where did she come from? Why couldn’t she see?

She swallowed down her panic, looking around the room, this time hoping to find a clue. 

Easing out of the bed, her feet his the cold white floor. Looking down at herself, she saw a pair of loose cotton pants, no shoes or socks on her feet. She had a matching loose cotton tunic on as well and… no bra? Feeling her cheeks heat, she realized she didn’t have underwear on either. Just these loose white cotton garments. With a shaking hand, she reached up for her head and felt her hair. It was medium length, falling just past her shoulders, loose and soft. 

Glancing down at the bed, she saw a pair of folded glasses on the bed next to the pillow. She picked them up, studying the frames. She slipped them on, noticing they not only fit her but also fixed her vision.They were her glasses, apparently. She wore glasses. 

Every little bit of information helped, the way she figured. 

She took a step, testing her steadiness. Her head throbbed painfully, but the rest of her seemed fine, if a little lethargic. Perhaps she’d been asleep for a long time. Honestly, she had nothing to compare it to. 

She tried not to let that thought startle her. 

The room wasn’t very large. It didn’t take her very long to walk the perimeter, studying the walls. The door was locked tight, which didn’t surprise her as much as it probably should have. The curtain hid a sink and toilet. The table and chairs were sturdy and bolted to the floor. There was no exposed hardware anywhere. Clearly, she was being held prisoner. Captive. Hostage? 

The fact that she didn’t have any memory of anything, even her own name and history, told her that this wasn’t a coincidence. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her panic rising.

Before she had a chance to really spiral, there was a noise from the other side of the door. With a loud clang, the door swung open. She stared as two large men dressed in white uniformed shoved a third man into the room with her. Before she could absorb anything more about their appearance or about the white hallway behind the door, the door shut again. 

She turned her focus to the new addition. 

He was a big man. She could tell that through the loose white cotton pants and tunic he wore that matched her own. The tunic did nothing to hide his broad chest and shoulders and the short sleeves exposed muscled arms. He picked himself up off the floor carefully, wincing in a way that told her he had a headache like hers. As he stood to his full (and considerable) height, she watched him and tried to focus on the niggling familiarity she felt. 

It almost felt like she knew this guy. But the minute she tried to chase that notion, it escaped into the frustrating fog of her mind. The man wobbled on his feet before steadying himself. He glanced around the room and then his gaze landed on her. She swallowed. He had piercing blue eyes and a shadow of scruff on his jaw. He was devastatingly gorgeous.

“Who are you?” he asked her, his voice rough. 

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“Where are we?” He looked around the room again and she waited while he checked behind the curtain. 

“Another great question,” she replied when he looked back to her. “Let me guess: you don’t remember anything either?”

She saw his jaw tighten before he shook his head. “No. I can’t— I don’t even remember who _I_ am.”

“Me either,” she said gently. “I just woke up and… nothing.”

His broad shoulders slumped in defeat. 

“Did you see anything… _out there_?” she asked, gesturing towards the door. 

“No… I woke up on a table and before I could get my bearings, those two guys grabbed my arms and dragged me in here. It looked like an exam room? Just like this one, actually, but more cabinets and no bed. Nothing in the hallway but a bunch of doors.”

Frustration pulsed through her as she turned and glared at the corner of the room. Not knowing where they were, who they were, why they were _here_ was driving her crazy. The _unknown_ of it all irritated her like something was burrowed beneath her skin. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to push her irritation back down and turned back to face her new companion. 

He was watching her, a crease between his brows. She noticed a bruise on his cheek that was fading. She walked to him without thinking and lifted a hand to touch it. 

“What?” he asked, looking a little alarmed at her sudden nearness. 

She dropped her hand and stepped back. “Sorry, I just… you have a fading bruise on your cheek.”

He lifted a hand to feel at it and she noticed his knuckles were bruised as well. 

“Your hand!”

He looked at it. “I guess this means they didn’t get me without a fight,” he said and she could tell he was trying to keep his tone light. 

She smiled at him. “I guess that says you’re a fighter. If you know nothing else, that’s not half bad.”

He lifted a shoulder and looked at her again, his eyes searching over her. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Just… you look a little familiar, is all.” 

She sat back on the edge of the bed. “I was actually thinking the same thing.” 

He looked surprised at that. “Really?” He sat next to her, leaving a respectable distance. 

She nodded. “I can’t put my finger on it. I have no idea why I even have that feeling. It’s… it’s frustrating.”

“Tell me about it.” He blew out a breath and she didn’t know whether to feel bad that he was just as frustrated as she was or relieved that she wasn’t alone in this. It was some sort of strange combination of the two. She decided to distract them both for the time being and turned towards him, curling one leg underneath her as she settled. 

“Tell me what I look like,” she said. “I’ll do the same for you.”

He turned to her, lifting an eyebrow. His lips quirked a little at the corners. “Distraction?”

“Is it working?”

Now he really smiled, and it caused his whole face to light up. Her heart gave a little thud at the sight. _Calm down_ , she told herself. _It’s just a pretty man smiling_. 

“It might be,” he said. He regarded her again, his eyes lingering on her hair. “You have blonde hair. It’s a little wavy.Blue eyes, but…” He trailed off and leaned in a little closer and she fought to still herself under his scrutiny. “I see flecks of green and brown in them. Makes them almost look grey. Like right now.”

She could feel her cheeks heating. “Thank you.Anything else?”

“You’re pretty.Short, of course, but nice build. You look… like a nice person,” he finished, sounding a little unsure. She might have detected a blush on his cheeks but she knew better than to point it out. 

“Thanks. It helps to know.”

“My turn?”

“Your turn,” she replied, smiling. “You are a very handsome man. Very tall, I can see that you are fit. Those arm muscles give it away.You have really short light brown hair, looks like you buzz it pretty short. You have a couple days worth of scruff, and very, very blue eyes. No other color there, just blue.”

“Yeah?” His eyes turned warm on hers, his smile easy. It relaxed her, seeing him grow comfortable with her. 

She nodded. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He was still smiling at her with a slot at the base of the door opened up and a tray was pushed through with two plates on it. The slot snapped closed, barely leaving a seam behind. 

She eyed the food on the plates… there was a sandwich of some kind, a small pile of chips and an apple. A cup of water sat next to it. Her stomach rumbled. 

“Should we eat it?” she asked him. She was hungry, but at the same time unsure whether to trust that they hadn’t drugged their food or not. 

“I don’t know. I’m pretty hungry but… I don’t think we can trust these people. Whoever they are.”

She got up and picked the tray up off the floor. She carried it to the table and set it down. Then, she picked up the apple and examined it. “I don’t think they could drug an apple without leaving a mark,” she mused. 

He joined her, taking the apple and looking at it closely. Then, he set it down and started to examine all the food on both plates. He sniffed at the water. “It looks okay,” he said, a little reluctantly. 

“I’m hungry. We don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

“I don’t want to make it easy for them to hurt us,” he said with a growl. 

She studied the food again. “On the other hand, if they wanted to kill us, they could have done it easily by now. I think they want us alive, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s just… food. To keep us fed and healthy.”

The man grimaced but nodded. “That’s a good point. Why don’t you let me try it first, test it out?”

She made a face. “Do you think you’re better at resisting toxins than I am?” 

“Maybe. But at the very least we could see if the food is safe without you being at risk.”

She wanted to ask him why it mattered to him if she was at risk since he didn’t even know who she was. But she kept her mouth shut, knowing that question was unproductive. She didn’t want to risk him either and she couldn’t have told him why she felt that way. Maybe it was the same for him. Maybe that’s why they were in here together. 

“All right. Go ahead,” she said, nodding towards the food. 

He sat in one of the chairs and picked up the sandwich. He gave it a last sniff before taking a bite.She sat in the chair opposite him and watched as he chewed and swallowed. 

“Well?” she prompted. 

“Turkey and cheese,” he told her. “Not bad.”He took another bite. 

“But it’s safe.”

“It seems so,” he replied after he swallowed. “Go for it.We need to keep our strength up.”

She dug in right away. Turkey and cheese had never been her favorite but right now it was the best tasting sandwich she’d ever had in her life. She wondered how long it’d been since she’d eaten anything. 

They were silent as they ate. She was tired at pushing at the inescapable _nothing_ of her memories so she let her thoughts wander in other directions. Like how the apple tasted as she bit into it. Or the crunch of the chips. There was no noise, outside the sounds of them eating. Not even anything from outside the room, as far as she could tell. She tried to think about what reason there was for them being here. Why would anyone want them, want to take their memories, and lock them up here together? Did she know this man and not realize it? Or was this some sort of sick experiment involving strangers, plucked off the streets.

The fact that she couldn’t even conjure up a mental image of what “the streets” looked like made her frustration begin to rise again. 

Back to focusing on her food… 

After they ate, they both needed to use the facilities. He let her go first, promising to cover his ears. She smiled at his chivalry as she disappeared behind the curtain to take care of business. She noticed, as she was washing her hands, that her headache had faded considerably since she’d eaten. There was still a dull ache but it was hardly noticeable. She stepped out from behind the curtain and gave him the same courtesy of plugging her ears when it was his turn. 

She was feeling tired then, and couldn’t stifle the yawn that pushed past her lips. The man chuckled at her. “Maybe we should get some sleep.”

She eyed the bed and realized that it was the only obvious place in the room to sleep. “Are you tired too?” she asked. 

He shrugged a little, his eyes also lingering on the bed. She could see that he was just as tired as she was though. His shoulders were drooping and he had shadows under his eyes. She thought to suggest they sleep in shifts but seeing how tired he was and knowing how tired she was… it seemed silly. 

The bed was actually fairly large, certainly large enough to hold two people at a time. They didn’t even need to touch, so long as neither of them thrashed around a lot in their sleep. The floor looked unforgivably hard and not to mention cold. There was no telling how long they’d be here, in this room. Just as they needed to eat to keep up their strength, they needed quality rest as well. 

“We can share,” she told him. “The bed is big enough and I promise to stay on my side if it bothers you.”

“Are you sure? I just didn’t want you to think… That I would presume…”There was that delightful blush on his cheeks again. The sight of it made her smile. 

“I wouldn’t think that,” she assured him. “You know, despite not knowing, well, _anything…_ I feel like I can trust you.Does that sound crazy?”

The pink on his cheeks faded as he smiled back at her. “No, it doesn’t sound crazy. If it helps, I promise to be a gentleman.”

“And I’ll try not to take advantage of you in my sleep,” she replied. Then, she heard herself and winced. “I mean, not that I— I just meant…”

He chuckled, a lovely sound. “I know what you mean.”He moved to one side of the bed, the one closest to the door, and pulled the covers back.She did the same on the other side. No sooner had she laid down than the lights in the room went off automatically. A low glow lit the room, it seemed to be coming from the ceiling, the same place the light came from. It was like a nightlight, just enough to barely light the room and clearly meant to be a simulation of nighttime. The lights going off made her pause for a moment; was someone watching them?

They each settled in and she was very aware of him on the other side of the bed, shifting around. Eventually, he settled on his side and she listened to his breaths as she tried to relax her mind. 

It was hard not to be overwhelmed by the unknown of this situation. The only thing that was remotely familiar to her was him but she didn’t even know _why_. Her eyes began to sting as she shifted onto her side, away from him. She felt scared. Nothing was secure and she didn’t even have her own identity to hold onto. All she had was… this man. She didn’t know who he was any more than she knew who _she_ was but… She did trust him. There was no reason to, she just _did_. So she pushed the rising panic back down, blinked her eyes to clear them and again focused on her bed mate’s even breathing as he drifted to sleep. 

Whatever was going on, she had a feeling she was going to need him in order to get through it. 

***

She was awakened by the lights in the room coming back on. One moment, she was dozing in the dimly lit room, the next, the room was flooded with light. She sucked in a breath, blinking back at the brightness. 

The man in bed next to her sat straight upright, looking ready to leap up and fight if he needed to. From his alert state, she wondered if he hadn’t been having as much difficulty sleeping as she’d been. It’d been a night of tossing and turning. As tired as she was, her brain wouldn’t shut off and the feelings of isolation crept in every time she tried to close her eyes and relax. 

Sighing, she sat up too. “Guess that’s enough pretending to sleep for one night,” she grumbled. 

“You didn’t sleep well either?” he asked. His short hair was slightly rumpled from the pillow. Her fingers itched to touch it, to see if it was soft or bristly. 

She shook her head. “First night in a new place? I guess? I don’t know.”

She was about to suggest he take first crack at the “bathroom” when the door to the room swung open with a loud clank. Her companion shifted in front of her on the bed, as though trying to hide her from the two uniformed men who appeared in the door. She peered over his shoulder; they looked like the same two that had dropped him off in the room the day before. 

“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice low and threatening. It sent a little shiver down her spine to hear it. 

The men didn’t say anything, simply advanced on them, rounding the end of the bed to get to her side where she was sitting up. She instinctively shrunk back into the pillow. Her new friend tried to put himself in front of her but one of the uniformed men just pushed him aside. 

They grabbed one of her arms and pulled her up out of the bed. As they started to walk from the room, pulling her along between them, her companion shouted after her. 

“Hey! Get your hands off her! Where are you taking her?!” 

The uniforms didn’t respond, just pulled her towards the door. She tried to fight, tried to plant her feet on the floor but there was no traction, nothing to brace herself against. She was powerless. She beat at the uniform to her left, trying to get him to release her. 

“Let go of me!”

There was a jostling as her friend launched at the uniform on her right. He tried to pull him away from her and it looked, incredibly enough, as though he might get it done. But then the uniform pulled something from his belt and jabbed it at her friend and would-be rescuer. Spark and the sharp smell of ozone filled the air. Her friend froze and convulsed before falling to the floor in a heavy heap. 

She cried out, not even knowing what name to call but anguished by the site of his crumbled form as she was pulled from the room. Her shouts echoed along the long hallway. All she could see was an endless white hallway, filled with doors. Terror crept up her throat as she continued to thrash against her captors. 

They pulled her into a room that looked like the room her companion had described as the one he woke up in the day before. There was an exam table and cupboards and cabinets. She was pulled to the table and forced to lie down on it, the uniforms pressing on her legs and arms in order to secure them into restraints that were built in. Panic took over as she tried to resist but they each outweighed her by a good 100 pounds. 

Terror clawed at her throat and she sobbed out, unable to articulate her fear. Her hands and her ankles were secured in thick leather straps and no matter how much she pulled, she couldn’t move more than an inch or two. 

A moment later, an older, balding man in a lab coat walked into the room. He wore a pair of round glasses that perched on his nose and looked as though he couldn’t be much more than an inch or two taller than herself. He had beady little eyes and a small red mouth and she hated the look of him instantly. 

“Good morning,” he told her in a prissy voice as he approached her exam table. “I’m sure you have many questions but I’m afraid I cannot tell you anything. For now, I and my assistants are going to do an exam on you. This is something that will be repeated at regular intervals throughout the duration of your stay here. The more you fight us, the more difficult this is going to be for you. If you’d like to get back to your room, I suggest you cooperate.”

“I don’t want to get back to the room, I want to get out of here. Let me go!” she cried. She could feel tears dripping down her temples and she wished she could stop them. Tears felt like weakness and right now, she wanted to be strong. But she was so damn _scared_. 

The man in the lab coat tutted. “And where would you go? You have no memories, you don’t know who you are. If I let you walk outside right now, in this condition, there is no telling what might happen to you. You are safer and better off in here. You will just have to trust me on that.”

“Well, I don’t,” she growled. 

He didn’t give any indication that he heard her. He was joined by a young woman with curly black hair wearing a white uniform, who began to pull instruments and other various items from the cabinets. The first thing she handed the man was a large syringe. She watched with wide as he approached her. She tried to fight and the woman came over to hold her right arm down in the restraint, holding her steady. 

She cried out as the man stuck the needle into the crease of her elbow. He drew out a vial of blood before removing the needle. She was sobbing as he handed it over to the woman, who removed the vial, disposed of the needle. She placed a pre-printed label on the vial and set it on a tray. 

And that was as good as the exam got. From there, it spiraled into a nightmare. 

She was poked and prodded and by the time the man in the lab coat and his terrible assistant were finished, she was sobbing openly. She felt violated and exposed. He injected something into her arm; she didn’t even have the strength to ask what. It made a warm feeling flow through her, almost as though it was detaching her from her feelings. She felt loose and relaxed, even while her mind raced. 

She was released from the restraints then, but found she was unable to really fight for her own freedom. Her body was sluggish at responding to her brain’s cues. The man in the lab coat said something to the woman, who nodded.He left the room, shutting the door and the woman helped her down off the table. 

“Now, we need for you to shower,” the woman said to her and she could only blink at her. Shower? 

She was lead over to a corner of the room where a spray nozzle extended over a portion of the floor that contained a covered drain.The woman pointed out the shampoo and soap and instructed her to disrobe. When she just stood there, watching as the woman started up the water and didn’t move to do as she was told, the woman heaved a sigh. 

“I’ll have to tell the doctor to dial down the sedative for next time,” she muttered. Her mind reeled in horror as the woman began to pull her cotton garments off of her. But all she could do was whimper as she was stripped bare. 

The woman helped her shower, washing her hair and soaping up her body. After that awful exam, she hadn’t thought it’d be possible for her to feel more violated, but this shower was insult on top of injury. So she just closed her eyes and endured. Her tears blended with the water pouring down her face as the woman rinsed her hair for her. She found that, despite what she’d told that awful man in the lab coat, she just wanted to back to that room, She wanted to get back the man in that room, who’d been so kind to her. In the face of the other people here, he was really the only friendly face she knew. 

After the shower, the woman dried her out and re-dressed her in a fresh pair of white garments. She brushed out her hair roughly, yanking at the tangles and causing new tears to spring to her eyes. She was given her glasses back, but at this point, being able to see wasn’t exactly a blessing. Her heart was heavy as the woman opened the door, signaling the two uniformed men who stood outside.

They were different from the men who’d pulled her from the room that morning, but no less bulky and intimidating. They held her up, walking her down that bleak and empty hallway. She didn’t even have the presence of mind or heart to count the doors they passed before the uniforms stopped in front of one particular door.They opened it, pressing a series of numbers into a keypad on the wall next to the handle and pulled it open. 

One uniforms stood, blocking the door, while the other maneuvered her inside and she caught a glimpse of her companion sitting at the table. He was bent forward, his head in his hands but he snapped up at the sight of her. The uniform dropped her onto the bed and she lay there, unable to compel her muscles to move. She wanted to curl into a ball and turn away from the room. Tears continued to track down her cheeks. 

She heard the clang as the door closed and a moment later, felt the bed dip next to her and a hand cover her shoulder. 

“Hey… are you okay?”

She met his concerned gaze and saw his features shift when he saw her crying. “No, I’m not,” she managed to say, her words sounding slurred. 

He moved, shifting around so he could pull her up and into his lap. His arms banded around her, holding her to him and one of his hands brushed over her still damp hair. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on but I promise, we will get out of here. I will make sure that happens and that these bastards _pay_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys think? Are you interested in more? Let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As days pass in the strange, enclosed room, the occupants deal with growing realizations regarding their situation and the feelings that arise because of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you to everyone for the fantastic outpouring of support for this story! I'm so sorry there wasn't an update before this but this last week was crazy, both in real life and fandom life. The show *definitely* derailed my productivity! But thank you for staying patient with me. 
> 
> I want to mention another story that features a "captive" scenario, "[Another Kind of Island](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5943487)" by Emmilyne. While our stories feature some similar elements (a white room, hers with windows and on an island, mine... no windows, not an island and if I'm not mistaken, considerably smaller. also, the medical testing... though for different reasons), I assure you these stories are definitely different. Mine is not influenced by hers and hers is not influenced by mine. I've discussed this with her and it's understood between the two of us. So if there's been any confusion, I apologize. I also recommend you give her story a look because it's fantastic!
> 
> I loved all the guesses from you guys on the first chapter, trying to figure out what was going on and where I might be going. You guys are all very clever. I should brainstorm my next story with you all. ;) This chapter does a bit of a downshift from the action and is a bit more emotional. As such it was difficult to write, especially when distracted. I hope the end result is coherent!

_ She heard the clang as the door closed and a moment later, felt the bed dip next to her and a hand cover her shoulder. _

_ “Hey… are you okay?” _

_ She met his concerned gaze and saw his features shift when he saw her crying. “No, I’m not,” she managed to say, her words sounding slurred. _

_ He moved, shifting around so he could pull her up and into his lap. His arms banded around her, holding her to him and one of his hands brushed over her still damp hair. _

_ “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on but I promise, we will get out of here. I will make sure that happens and that these bastards pay.” _

He held her for a long time, running a hand over her back, not saying a word. His silent comfort, as it turned out, was all she needed. Eventually, the sedative they’d given her began to wear off and her muscles started to respond. It was right about then that the slot in the door opened up and a new tray of food was pushed through.

“Why don’t you go sit down, I’ll bring the food over,” he suggested gently. 

She nodded and eased off his lap, feeling a little ashamed at the way she’d clung to him. But he didn’t seem to mind so she tried to hold her head up as she walked to the table and had a seat. 

He brought the tray, which held bowls of soup, crackers, grapes and two glasses of water. He set it down on the table and they began to eat. As she ate, she began to feel steadier. 

“They took me too,” he told her a moment later before eating a spoonful of soup. 

She set her spoon down. “They did?”

He nodded. “Just after they took you. A couple of the guards… I guess they’re guards?They came in and took me down the hall. I was still sort of out of it and by the time I got with it again, I was strapped down to a table, just like when I first woke up.”

She listened as he told her what he’d experienced. They’d taken his blood, like they had with her, they’d done an exam but it sounded as though it hadn’t gotten quite as… invasive for him. Plus, the sedative they’d given him hadn’t been nearly as strong and had worn off a lot quicker. When She told him about her own experience, she tried to tone down the details. 

He gave her a steady look as she sipped at her water.She set down the glass. “What?”

“You’re not telling me the whole story are you?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I mean… it’s not exactly the best lunch conversation.”

His eyebrows drew together and she knew he knew what she wasn’t saying. But he went back to eating his lunch and so did she. When they were finished, he met her eye again. 

“I meant what I said before.”

“About what?”

“About getting out of here. And making them pay.”

She shivered a little at the hard, intense look in his eye. She wanted to believe him, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that there was no way for them to escape, something in the way he promised her… she wanted to believe. 

They spent the rest of the day talking and sleeping. There wasn’t much else to do. Their captors, for she was sure they were being held against their wills, hadn’t given them any sort of entertainment. 

“They could have at least given us a pack of cards,” he grumbled as they both lay on the bed on their backs, talking. 

“Right? Though… I’m not sure I remember any card games,” she replied. 

He made a noise in his throat. “Good point.”

“I can’t even think of any games to play off the top of my head. It’s just… blank.”

He must have sensed her frustration because he reached over and patted her hand with his before letting it rest on hers, offering her warmth and comfort. 

After a long moment, he said, “Are you trying to say that my company is boring?”

She laughed in spite of herself. “No, of course not. In fact, I can’t imagine being here alone.” She fought an involuntary shudder at the thought. “I’m very glad you’re here. Not that you’re stuck here but that… well, I guess I’m not saying this right…”

“Hey.It’s okay, I get it. I’m glad I’m not alone too. I suppose, if it had to be someone I was stuck with, I’m glad it’s you.”

She smirked at the ceiling. “You don’t really have anyone to compare to, though.”

“That’s not true. Those guards and the doctor and that evil nurse aren’t too high on my list of favorite people right now.”

“Fair point.”

They were quiet for a long moment, and she thought about other people and if there was anyone else out there that was missing her right now. Was she married? What about her parents?Did she have friends who were worried sick? She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. 

“Do you suppose we knew each other?Before…here?”

He didn’t say anything for a while and she turned her head to look at him, see if maybe he hadn’t fallen asleep. He was staring at the ceiling too, looking thoughtful. 

“I’m not sure,” he said at last. “At times you seem familiar but that could just be because we’re stuck in here together.”

“Do you wonder about who you are? About who might be looking for you?”

“Of course. What else do we have to do but sit here and wonder?” He fell silent and she looked back to the ceiling, as if it could lend her some answers to all the questions filling her mind. Then, he spoke again, “Do you think we’ll get our memories back?”

“Like… gradually remembering over time?”

“Yes. Or them restoring them to us.”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what plan they might have for us.”She shivered a little. Thinking about what they were here for, why they’d taken their memories… 

“It can’t be anything good. Or else why would they keep us locked up all the time?” 

***

The days began to bleed into one another. Without any sight of the outside world, no windows, no natural light, no clocks or calendars with which to mark the time or date, it was inevitable. They weren’t examined every day, as far as she could tell. She tried to keep track of how many meals they were given to mark how much time had passed. If she had to guess, it seemed they were given two meals a day. And there were 12 meals between their first exams and the second. That would be six days. Maybe seven. She lost a bit of one day when she woke up feeling desolate and refused to get out of bed, even when her companion tried to urge her to eat. 

She got used to washing herself up in the sink. It seemed the only showers she was going to get were when she was pulled out for an exam. She used a torn piece from her tunic to clean her teeth and her fingers to comb her hair. She knew she must look like a wreck and was glad there was no mirror to confirm that suspicion. But her companion didn’t seem to mind too much. 

They distracted each other as best they could. One day, they invented stories for themselves. She thought up a fantastical backstory that involved being born into foreign royalty but being kidnapped at a young age from her family by a jealous rival for the throne. He envisioned a more mundane childhood, as one of five brothers growing up in a quiet neighborhood with a shaggy dog as his best friend and cherished pet.

It was strange the things they _did_ know. They knew there were things like houses and pets and kings and queens and countries. They understood how the world worked but it was as though they had no personal connection to it. For her, it felt like she’d read about the world in a book, but had no real experience with it. That was a pretty awful scenario to contemplate so she didn’t linger on it. But try as she might to remember what the sun looked like or what grass felt like beneath her feet, she couldn’t hit on a single point of reference. All she knew was those things _existed_. 

On what she thought was the third day, they were both taken from the room again, but this time it was to a room that had a rug, two cushioned and rather comfortable looking chairs, a small table and a lap. It was softer than any room she’d seen so far in this place. Still, it felt clinical and she felt uncomfortable from the moment she was brought inside and told to sit in one of the chairs. 

A woman entered the room a short while later. She was older, with salt and pepper hair swept into a sleek chignon. She carried a teacup in one hand and a clipboard in the other. Like the doctor yesterday, she wore a white labcoat over her sensible dark red dress. 

“Good morning,” she said in a sing-song voice as she sat in the chair opposite her, setting her teacup on the table after taking a dainty sip. 

She just watched the woman, feeling irritated at her cheerfulness and sullen at whatever she might expect her to do or say.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked, arranging the clipboard on her crossed legs and poising her pen over the paper. 

She lifted a shoulder in answer. 

“Are we not speaking today?”

She just glared. 

The woman sighed. “These sessions aren’t going to work if you don’t talk to me.”

She raised an eyebrow. Sessions? What the hell was this? _Therapy_?

“I’m here for you, and your friend.  As I have been for  about a dozen other couples. But I’m going to need you to answer my questions or this won’t work.”

A dozen other couples? What the hell was going on here? 

The woman gazed at her for a minute and seemed to be considering something.Then she sat back in her seat, scribbled something on her clipboard and said, “All right. You can call me Dr. Ambrose. I am a therapist.Does it help, me introducing myself?”

“A little,” she answered. “It’d help even more if I could introduce _myself_.”

Dr. Ambrose smiled benignly at her. “I know, dear. But it’s unavoidable for now.” 

She grit her jaw, frustrated. 

“So tell me. What do you think of your friend, the one you are sharing your room with?”

Why was she asking _that_? “He’s nice. Nicer than you all, at least.”

Dr. Ambrose huffed a small laugh as she wrote something down. “Since you woke up, have you felt afraid of him?”

“No,” she replied, a little miffed. Why was she asking her about him? What was this lady getting at?

“Have you felt angry with him, distanced?”

“No! Of course not. He’s been very friendly.”

“Would you say that you trust him?”

She shifted a little in her seat. “I don’t even know him. I don’t even know who _I_ am.”

“Yes, but if he tells you something, do you believe him?”

“Yes, I do.”

Dr. Ambrose hummed as she wrote something down on the clipboard. She felt so confused at what was going on. This wasn’t like any therapy session— She caught herself. She’d almost finished that thought with “like she’d ever known” but clearly, she didn’t _know_ any therapy sessions.Did she? This was all making her feel rather uncomfortable. 

Dr. Ambrose seemed to notice her discomfort and steered the questions in a different direction. She asked about her had been sleeping (“not well”), about her mood (“bored”… she wasn’t about admit to this woman how bone-deep terrified she really was) and about how she liked the food. She thought that was one was odd until she realized that Dr. Ambrose was trying to learn her food preferences. The woman knew better to ask than what her favorite foods were since obviously she would have no idea (and wasn’t that just a depressing thought). 

When she was finished, Dr. Ambrose got up and opened the door, signaling to the uniforms in the hall. Guards, her friend had called them. She didn’t fight them this time and they kept their hands off of her, walking her down the hallway back to her room. She looked around as best she could without being too obvious. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much distinguishing about the hallway. It was very dull, very long, very plain and filled with doors. No windows. 

When she arrived at her room, she noticed her companion sitting in a chair, finishing up lunch. Her own plate was still on the tray, untouched. He smiled when she saw him and she felt a small fluttering inside her at the sight.Before she could say a word, the guards gestured to him. 

“It’s your turn now, come with us.”

Her friend looked confused, his brow furrowing. 

“I just sat in a chair and talked to a woman in a white lab coat. She called herself Dr. Ambrose. I think it’s like… therapy?”

He wrinkled his nose, clearly not liking the thought of therapy but must have realized a losing battle when he saw one. He strode out of the room and the guards slammed the door shut, leaving her alone.Sighing, she sat down and began to eat her lunch. 

***

When he returned from his “session”, he was silent and brooding. Despite wanting to ask him what Dr. Ambrose had asked him, she held her tongue. He seemed like he needed his space so she gave it to him.He took a nap and while she felt like she could take a nap as well, she opted to sit at the table and go through her own session with the therapist. 

He woke up by the time dinner was delivered. She didn’t have much appetite for the chewy steak they’d given them but she forced herself to eat a few bites anyway. He remained silent still and barely even met her eye. She could feel her own mood dipping to compensate with his. Her thoughts turned from trying to figure out why they were being kept here to being worried that they would never get out. The thought of never knowing who she was engulfed her like a thick, poisonous fog. 

After a few halfhearted bites, she pushed her plate aside and stood up from the table. “I’m going to sleep,” she told him. 

She felt his eyes on her as she climbed to the bed, turned to face the wall and closed her eyes. 

She tossed for a while, trying to get comfortable. Eventually, he joined her in the bed, keeping to his side. She needed to put him out of her mind for the time being and get some rest. Her mind was fitful, but her body was tired and while it took a while to really fall asleep, eventually she was able to manage sleep. 

When she woke in the morning, he was already up and sitting at the table. She was surprised to see two mugs sitting there along with a couple of pastries. He was watching her and smiled a little when he saw her awake. She smiled back and got up to join him. 

“Coffee?” she said, examining the contents of the mug. 

“Yeah, I was surprised too.” 

She smiled as she took a sip.He was talking to her now, at least. That was improvement. She swallowed her sip and couldn’t hold back the noise of pure contentment that rose from her throat. “Oh my god. Have I always liked coffee this much? I must have. This stuff is _amazing_.” 

He chuckled and took a drink. 

She thought about it as she drank the life-sustaining beverage. “Did you request this? From Dr. Ambrose?”

He raised an eyebrow. 

“She asked me some questions about what foods I liked and I wondered if she asked you the same thing.” Truthfully, she also wanted to ask him about his own session but wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up until now. This seemed like the safest avenue. 

“Ah.”He looked thoughtful. “I guess I did mention wanting something in the morning, to help get me going.”

“Well, thank you,” she said and took another long drink from her coffee. It tasted better than anything else she could remember. 

They finished their little breakfast (that’s what it was, her mind supplied the word just as easily as plucking a name off a board but still withheld her own memories… frustrating wasn’t even a strong enough word anymore for what she felt) and took their turns washing up in the small bathroom area. 

When she was done, she found him sitting on the bed. From his dejected expression, she thought maybe he was back to the state he was in yesterday. But then he looked up and met her eyes. 

She was crossing the room before she could she think. As much as she wanted to reach out and take his hand, she knew he probably would reject the gesture. So instead, she sat beside him on the bed. 

“Are you ready to talk about it?” she asked. 

He didn’t pull away, he didn’t even look away. He opened his mouth, but no words came out so he shrugged. She sighed. 

“Listen, I don’t want to pressure you, I hope you know that. But… since we’ve been in here, talking to you has been the only thing keeping me sane.”

He looked almost surprised to hear that. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Really. Can you try to talk to me? Please? If you don’t want to talk about the session that’s fine, but please, don’t shut me out.”

“I’m sorry I did that,” he admitted. “I just… I don’t know why my first instinct was to hold it in.”

“Maybe that’s a habit you have. From… before.”

“Sounds like a bad habit.”

She smiled gently. “I agree.” 

“Dr. Ambrose didn’t ask anything that strange, but it made me feel… strange. And it reminded me that we’re being held here, that we’re trapped. Days are passing and I haven’t found a way for us to get out of here yet.”

“That’s hardly your fault,” she pointed out. 

“Maybe. But not doing anything about it is making me feel… I don’t know. I hate it. I’m letting you down.”

“You’re not,” she promised him, forgetting herself and reaching out to take his hand. 

“I promised you that we’d get out of here. I’d make these people pay. And I can’t do _shit_ ,” he growled. 

She started to rub his forearm soothingly. “I know it’s not going to happen overnight. We haven’t had a chance to do much of anything yet. I have faith.”

He blew out a breath and looked at her.He shook his head. “I have no idea how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Stay so positive. Believe in me. I barely believe in myself but here you are…”

“Hey.I can stay positive because I’ve got you here. I’m not alone.So don’t shut me out, okay?”

He bit his lower lip and then, after a moment, nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

She smiled at him, feeling her cheeks begin to ache with it. Had she smiled this wide since she first woke up in here? She didn’t think so. But she meant every word she said to him; he was her one bright spot right now. And if she felt they were in this together, then she could get through anything.Plus, he was looking at her as though she’d just hung the moon… if she could only put her finger on what exactly the moon looked like. But she imagined it couldn’t look any less stunning than the sight of this man’s gentle but appreciative smile. 

He was beautiful. 

She only realized she’d said that last part out loud when his expression changed. His eyes softened and then dropped to her mouth.She realized they were sitting very close, her knee was pressed against the side of his leg and they were both turned towards one another. He was looking at her lips and she felt a surge of heat at the realization. She looked at his, noticing how soft and perfect they looked, even when framed by his prickly scruff. She wondered how soft they would feel, pressed to hers. 

When he looked back up into her eyes, she noticed his blue eyes had darkened considerably. She could feel her heart pounding, her blood rushing in her ears as her focus narrowed to just him, just his eyes, just his lips… 

She was leaning towards him before she knew what she was doing, just moving on instinct, pulled into his orbit. Helpless to stop it. She meant to stop, meant to let him make the final move towards her but _she couldn’t stop_. 

She closed her eyes at the last moment and felt her lips touch his.It was a tentative kiss, more like lips brushing against each other. But she held there for a long moment, her eyes closed, just breathing him in. That felt… _right_ somehow. To just hang there, suspended in time and space, their lips touching but just barely now, breathing each other in. She could feel his heart pounding as fast as hers under her hand, which had landed on his chest. 

He cupped the back of her head, his fingers burying in her hair as he held her face close to his. She could feel his reluctance to let her go just yet and she felt just as reluctant to leave this embrace. It felt like she belonged here. They _had_ to know each other outside of this place. Either that or she was his soulmate somehow. If she even believed in soulmates. 

It felt like an eternity passed before he finally released her and eased back.She opened her eyes and found him watching her, his expression somber. 

“What?” she asked. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“

She held up a hand. “First, I’m the one who started that. Second, I started that because I wanted to do that.”

“I just… don’t want to think that you kissed me out of pity or something.”

She drew back further and looked at him with what she knew had to be a completely incredulous expression. “Excuse me?”

He nearly looked embarrassed, his cheeks pinking up and he looked down at his hands in his lap. “It’s just that I was all in my head for the last day and feeling bad about myself and here you were trying to make me feel better and it worked. And then you… kissed me.”

She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble on her palm. “I didn’t kiss you to make you feel better.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure?”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me that. I mean, have you seen you?”

The eyebrow lifted higher. “Seriously?”

She blew out a laugh. “Okay, good point. But take my word for it. You are gorgeous. But that’s not why I kissed you either.”

“Okay, now I’m getting confused.” He winked though, telling her that while he might be confused, he was charmed. It made her smile. 

“It wasn’t pity and it wasn’t because you’re attractive as hell. It’s because… I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.”

His eyes lightened at that and he shifted, scooting a little closer to her. “You have?”

“Yes.”

He smiled and again she was struck by how a smile just lightened up his whole face. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you too.” 

“So… maybe we can do that again sometime? Maybe?” 

His smile deepened into a grin. “Oh, definitely.”

The promise she read in that grin made a shiver travel clear down her spine. This wasn’t an ideal place or situation to develop feelings for someone. She knew that. Getting into something when she didn’t even know who she was was the very definition of a bad idea. But the pull she felt towards this man was magnetic. There was no denying it. And they needed each other in here. They kept each other going. 

She wasn’t so naive that she didn’t recognize that this situation could very well be life and death for both of them. And in life and death, you lived moment to moment. If taking comfort from each other helped them both get to the next moment, then she wasn’t going to fight that. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captives get some nice surprises but does what is given come without a cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to everyone reading along with this story. I actually had this one finished a little early but I decided to hold off on posting it in hopes I could get a leg up on the next chapter. This weekend was distracting enough that I wasn't quite able to finish chapter 4, but I wouldn't give up the gift that was the Arrow wrap party for anything! 
> 
> This chapter both earns and pushes the M rating I gave this story (which might increase in the future). I hope you enjoy. Special thank you lunarsilverwolfstar for giving it a once over and assuring me that I did a decent job. 
> 
> Perhaps I should make a banner/cover/art for this story? Maybe I'll work on that this week when I'm needing a break from writing!

The next morning saw them both taken from the room again. No one had to be tranquilized this time, though the guards threatened to do so with her companion. He was only trying to protect her, not wanting her to be exposed to more of what she’d gone through the first time. She’d reassured him with a hand on his arm, promised him she’d see him back here soon. Told him to keep his eyes open. That got through to him and he’d nodded tersely.

The exam was a little less invasive this time. More blood-work was done, which made her wince. She didn’t think she liked needles very much.Just the sight of them made her skin crawl and her heart start to race. The doctor, the short man with the glasses, asked her more questions this time. She refused to answer him at first, causing him to huff and look over the notes on his clipboard. 

“Dr. Ambrose said you were reluctant to talk to her too, at first,” he muttered. “Until she told you her name. You do realize I can make up a name, don’t you? It shouldn’t make a difference.” 

She stared back at him stonily. He sighed, giving off an air of impatience. 

“You may call me Dr. Bridger.”

“Is that your real name?” she asked. 

He smiled serenely which only made her glare at him. “I don’t believe it matters either way. If I say that it is, you won’t believe me. If I say that it isn’t, you might wonder if I’m lying about _that._ ”

This guy was quickly getting on her last nerve. The fact that he was making sense only made her feel more annoyed. 

“Just do your tests so I can get back to my room,” she grumbled. 

This seemed to make the little rat-man perk up a bit. “You like your room?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then it must be your companion.”He hummed and made a note on her chart. “Interesting.”

She couldn’t tell if he thought her connection to her friend was a good thing or not. For some reason, his interest in their relationship made her feel uneasy.

After the doctor left the room, she was told to shower and clean herself. She realized now that this was her one chance to get a proper shower for a long time so she took her time with it. There were soaps, sponges, razors, shampoos, conditioners and lotions and she took advantage of all of them. A boxed toothbrush and tube of toothpaste at the sink (still no mirror, natch) nearly made her weep in gratitude. Brushing her teeth felt like a dream. As she toweled off after, she felt considerably better. She wished they could have showers more often than once a week. 

As she pulled the fresh pair of cotton garments on, she thought about that. Biting her lip, she looked up at the ceiling. It only took a second to locate a small camera up in the right hand corner of the room. A little red light blinked next to the lens. She grimaced to herself at the thought of being watched (and recorded) while showering and getting dressed but pushed it aside as she remembered the last thought she’d had. 

“Hey,” she said loudly. Her voice was scratchy so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Hey! Is it possible to get more than one shower a week? Sure would help things. Much obliged!” 

She resisted flipping her middle finger at the camera, but just barely. 

The guards patted her down quickly and then escorted her back to the room. She imagined they were checking to make sure she hadn’t hidden the toothbrush. Their captor’s paranoia would have been eye-roll worthy except that it was probably well founded. Her fingers were itching to get her hands on _something_ that would help them get out of here and she didn’t even have any of her memories or any specific knowledge that might help her know what to do to free herself. Plus, her desperation was nothing compared to her companion’s. 

Just like before, he was back in the room when she returned.He seemed better than he had after the session the other day but still a little dejected. After they were left alone once more, she stepped into his embrace and they just held each other for a long moment. 

“Why are they doing this to us?” he asked, sounding so sad that it made her throat ache. 

“I don’t know,” she replied. She wished she had an answer, something she could tell him.

He squeezed her tighter, his strong arms banding around her and she nestled into the warmth of his chest, enjoying the smell of his clean skin. He lowered his head and she felt his lips against the top of her head. Then, he inhaled deeply and she could feel him relaxing. 

“Why does it feel like I know you?” 

She’d been asking herself that for days. “I don’t know. You don’t think… that they _added_ that, do you?” 

He drew back and looked at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“It just… they removed our memories but we still know things. I can see in my head things that I don’t remember ever actually seeing with my own eyes. That tells me what whatever they did to us, to turn us into these blank slates… that’s some precision mind-work.Do you suppose they could have planted a suggestion in our minds that we know each other?”

He contemplated that. “Its possible.Hell, anything is possible.But I honestly do feel as though I know you. Manufactured or not, I want to hold onto that belief.”

She understood what he was saying. “I agree. Having you here makes this unbearable situation just a little more bearable. I don’t care if it turns out that I don’t know you after all.”

“That’s the spirit,” he murmured, smiling a little. “Also… they left something here for us while we were out.”

“They did?”

He pulled her over to the table. On top were stacked several board games. None of them looked familiar but as she looked through the boxes, she noticed there were rules of play included. There was also a small stack of paperback books. 

“Oh… my god,” she whispered, looking through everything. “They left this here for us?” 

He nodded. “We have to assume so. They were here on the table when I got back.”

She threw herself at him, laughing. He caught her easily and swung her around. “I can’t believe I’m this excited over games and books!”

He laughed, holding her tight. “Me either. How about you and me, after lunch, we tackle this one here.” He pointed to one of the boxes. It read “CLUE” on it. Something in her brain buzzed at that, like nerves snapping to life. She grinned at him. 

“You’re on, mister.”

***

Time passed much more quickly and much more happily with the addition of the games. She found she really enjoyed Clue and Monopoly, while he preferred Battleship and Parcheesi.However, they both found enjoyed The Game of Life pretty well.Still, neither of them complained because it was something to _do_. Not even when he sunk her battleship for the _fourth time in a row_. 

She wasn’t bitter or anything.

The books weren’t terribly good or exciting, but it kept their brains occupied so when they weren’t playing games or talking, they would lay in bed and read. There was a sampling from all kinds of genres; western, mystery, thriller, romance… Sometimes they would each read aloud to the other while they lay in bed after lunch or before the lights went out after dinner. It felt very… cozy. 

A couple of nights later, they were laying in bed after the lights went out, talking. There’d been another “session” with Dr. Ambrose that day.She hadn’t asked any new or interesting questions, instead asking the same ones from before. 

“Why, though?” he asked. 

“I don’t know. You’d think she’d want to find out new things. I just told her the same things I told her last time.” 

“So did I.”

“Did she ask you a lot of questions about me?” 

“Mmhmm. Same for you?”

“Yeah. She seems very interested in what I think about you. I just… I don’t know. I didn’t feel really comfortable sharing that with her,” she said as she nibbled her lower lip. Her relationship with him was special to her and she didn’t feel like discussing it with Dr. Ambrose or anyone else. 

“I feel the same way,” he admitted, his voice soft. 

They’d kissed quite a few times over the last several days. It became a form of greeting, of good morning, of good night… Though the good night kisses were getting more and more heated. She could feel a yearning in her for this man. As unwise as it was to indulge those feelings, even for a moment, she found she couldn’t stop _wanting_. 

“I don’t want to share you with her,” she told him. 

He turned towards her and she could see his eyes shining a little in the dimness of the room. The “night” light didn’t light much, but she could make out his outline and could tell he was watching her. She could imagine the intensity of his blue eyes and it made her swallow down her rising nerves. 

“I don’t want to share you either,” he replied and his voice was lower than she’d ever heard it. It stirred something low in her belly, some part of her that yearned and needed. It was an odd feeling but not an unpleasant one. It had her leaning closer to him while he mirrored her movement. 

“Please,” she whispered just before his lips pressed to hers. He cupped her face, holding her still while she gripped his shoulder, her fingers digging in. 

Their kisses so far has been relatively chaste. Lips brushing, a quick press, the smallest of tastes.But this kiss changed almost immediately, as soon as their lips touched. There was nothing quick, or chaste, or demure about the way he coaxed her lips with his, slanting over her and nipping with his teeth. She opened her mouth on a gasp when she felt his teeth bite gently into her lower lip. Then, she felt his tongue lick into her mouth and this time, she didn’t gasp. She _moaned_. 

The sound seemed to spur him on because one moment his tongue was stroking hers and the next she was on her back and he was surrounding her, everywhere. His hands were bracketed on either side of her head so she had to look up at him. She could barely make him out in the dim light. His eyes were dark, his lips swollen and he was breathing hard. It was inflaming that strange feeling inside of her, the fire in her veins, the grasping _need_ that she felt… 

She smoothed her hands over his back, her fingers catching on the loose cotton of his white tunic.She moved them lower, tentatively, until she finally felt the firm rounded flesh of his ass underneath her palms.Gently, she squeezed him and his mouth fell open. 

“Oh…” He lowered his head to her shoulder, his lips kissing at the skin there as he pressed his pelvis to hers, encouraging her hands. 

“This okay?” she asked. 

“ _Very_ okay,” he gasped, his voice throaty and deep. She squeezed again, a little harder, a little _bolder_ , this time. 

He moved his hips against hers again but then held himself still. She kept her hands there and waited to see what he would do. He seemed to be struggling, his muscles tense where he held his torso over her. Then, he moved his head, his nose nuzzling at her neck as he sighed against her skin. 

“I wish I knew your name,” he whispered. “I would say it. I would love to say it.”

“Me too.”She imagined, almost immediately, calling out his name (whatever it was), as he inflamed her pleasure like this. 

She squeezed her hands on his ass again, pulling his hips to hers at the same time he gave a little thrust and… _oh_. Sensation burst through her as he rubbed against her just right and that low buzzing feeling she’d felt down low in her gut suddenly became a loud roar. She could _feel_ him, where he was hard and growing harder. And while two sets of cotton pants separated them, she could easily feel just how _big_ he was. Her mouth went dry. 

He gasped in sharply and held himself still again. “I can’t—“

She let go of his ass but kept her hands there, suddenly nervous that she’d pushed him too far. “You can’t what?”

He swore softly. “I don’t want to take advantage,” he told her. 

She couldn’t help but smile as she leaned up and kissed his prickly jaw.“You aren’t.I’m the one squeezing your butt.” 

He huffed out a small laugh. He moved again, slowly this time, gently rubbing himself against her.She could tell she was growing wet, her cotton pants had a damp patch that she imagined he could feel. She moved her hands up his back, underneath the tunic, scratching at the skin of his back. She could feel raised skin there, reminding her she hadn’t seen him without his shirt on since they’d been here. Did he have scars? Was that what she was feeling? Had their captors given them to him? If so, how long had they been here? Was this some unending cycle they were trapped in, their memories wiped over and over and over again just for the sick delight of some mad scientists?

Those thoughts were pulled from her mind in the next moment when she felt his hand stroke up her side, over her clothes. Her awareness narrowed down to his gentle, exploring touch. He moved slowly, his fingers feeling out each dip and curve until he arrived at the underside of her breast. It was just the barest hint of a touch but it had her making an unconscious noise as she shifted into his hand. 

“Is this— may I touch you?” he asked, sounding hoarse. He was panting into her neck and she lifted a hand to cup the back of his head, her fingernails scratching through his short hair. 

She nodded and then realized he might not be able to tell she’d done that. “Yes.Yes, please.” If he _didn’t_ touch her, she thought she might scream. 

He moved up a little more, holding his torso away from hers while their hips were still pressed together. He shifted his weight onto one elbow and she watched as moved his hand over her breast. Very gently, he traced the shape of it, cupped it, brushed his thumb over her nipple that was already standing at attention. She gasped in a breath at the sensation that zinged through her. Her grip on the back of his head tightened while her other hand dug into the skin of his back. Her reaction seemed to encourage him, as the touch became bolder, firmer. His thumb worked over her nipple over and over and over until she made a low keening noise. Her belly felt like it was on fire. 

“Holy shit,” he breathed and she smiled, arching up to kiss at his neck. “Does that feel good?”

“It feels _amazing_ ,” she told him honestly. 

Shifting his fingers, he started to circle her nipple with his finger tip, the barrier of thin cotton between him and her heated flesh becoming increasingly frustrating. He must have felt the same frustration because he slipped his hand down underneath her tunic and finally touched her, skin to skin. 

He squeezed the nipple, gently but firmly and she gasped, her hips pushing against his again. He pushed back. She felt like she was on fire, pulsing warmth between her legs and lava in her veins.Her chest heaved as she fought for breath. 

He whispered something she couldn’t quite make out as he continued his steady, strong and amazing touches, moving from one breast to the other until she was a writhing mess underneath him. 

“Please…” She didn’t even know what she was begging for but she knew she needed something _more_. 

She bucked her hips as much as she could, what with him pressing her down into the mattress. His thumbnail scraped over her nipple before flicking it and she cried out softly. 

He began to move his hips in answer to hers, pushing where she pulled, rubbing and grinding. The two points of sensation; her breast and her heated core, were slowly driving her to the brink. The brink of _what_ , she didn’t know. But it felt like something amazing. 

“I need—“ she began but bit off the rest of her words as he pinched her nipple, sending the zap of need directly down to her core. 

He stilled his hand. “What?What do you need?”He lowered his head, kissing her breathless before pulling back again. “Please… tell me.”

“Tell you what?” she asked, her voice shaky. She knew what he wanted, but the way he had gentled his touches on her breast to match the easy rocking of his hips was blowing her apart and she couldn’t concentrate on _anything_. 

“What do you want? Tell me what you want me to do,” he said, voice rough. He leaned down and started to kiss on her neck, just under her ear. He found a spot that turned her to almost instant jelly and she moaned loudly. 

“I want it all. More touching, everywhere… all of it… ohhhhh… I want… you. I want to feel it,” she babbled, not even making sense to her own ears. 

“Yes…”

“Oh!God, please…”

He shifted over her, adjusting the angle at which he pressed the bulge in his cotton pants against her. She widened her legs, welcoming him into the cradle of her hips, her thighs bracketing his hips. The friction was absolutely mind numbing as he rubbed against her perfectly.She gripped his back, her fingers digging in. 

“What else?” he gasped. “Tell me what else you want.”

Her mind was a swirl of feeling and emotion and it was hard to even string two thoughts today. She fought to find her sense amidst the crashing sensations. 

“I want…” She trailed off, suddenly finding her tongue tied and unable to say the words. She reached down instead, between their bodies. She felt for his stiff erection at the front of his pants and stroked along it.“This.”

He trembled a little as she touched him, clearly affected, and it made a surge of confidence push through her. She did that to him. She made him hard, she was making him shake like a leaf. It was amazing. It was _empowering_. 

“My—my what?” he prompted her, his eyelids heavy as he watched her face. 

He was going to make her say it.Here she was, rubbing her wet center against him, writhing underneath him, running her fingers along his erection and he wants her to _say the word_? She swallowed, finding her throat dry again. 

“ _This_ ,” she repeated, giving him a little squeeze and making him bite back a curse. He thrust into her hand. 

He chuckled, pressing a small kiss to mouth. “This what?C’mon, you can say it.”

She bit her lip, blinking up at him and she could tell her cheeks were flaming. She kept her hand moving on him, over the fabric of those pants, wondering just how soft the skin would feel against her palm…

“Please?Say it?” 

There was a quiet desperation in his voice that spiked her arousal even higher. She realized that he wasn’t trying to embarrass her, he just wanted very badly to hear her say it. That gave her a boost of confidence. She leaned up, kissing along his neck the way he had done to her. Then, she whispered into his ear, “Your cock.”

He groaned loudly, trying to muffle it against the skin of her shoulder. “Yes… god, yes.”

They both knew this was a poor idea. They hadn’t spoken a lot about their attraction for one another, but they often stole kisses from one another like it was something taboo. This wasn’t a great situation to be having sex with each other. They didn’t even know their own _names_. That said, right in that moment, they were both surging with adrenaline and arousal and it was like a freight train barreling down the tracks. Unstoppable. 

“I’m sorry…” she began to say. She took her hand off his cock and lifted it to his chest, stroking him through his tunic. 

“Shhh,” he said, lifting his head to look at her. “Don’t be sorry. I swear to god, as soon as we’re out of here, as soon as we have our lives back, I swear that I will spend four solid days in bed with you, doing everything that both of us want. I swear to you.”

His words made her moan and his started moving between her thighs again, angling his hips and rubbing her just right. She moved against him, complimenting his thrusts and delighting in the noises he made as she drove him just as far as he was driving her. 

“I want that,” she told him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling his neck. “With you. I want that so bad.”

He dipped his head and nibbled at her jawline. “Yes…”

They continued to move against one another, the friction their clothes provided against their most sensitive areas simply too much pleasure to resist. She imagined what it might feel like to have him slip his cock inside her, where she was already so wet and needing him. How it might feel for him to move in her, an even more perfect friction, driving both of them towards an amazing completion… 

This felt absolutely _right_. Like their first kiss had felt right, so did this. Being with him like this felt like coming home, a strange feeling when she didn’t _have_ a home. She just had _him_. 

His mouth covered hers, almost as though he could hear what she was thinking. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she met it with her own. This kiss was frantic, heated, needy and she could taste her own desperation as she nipped at hips lips and moaned into his mouth. He drew away from her mouth, kissing along her jaw before cursing softly in her ear, his hips still moving and his hand slipping down between their bodies. 

“Is this—?”

“Yes!Please…”

He reached down between her legs, to where she was open and wet for him and started to rub her through the pants she was wearing. He shifted a little so she could feel his erection start to rub against her thigh. Knowing that he was trying to give her as much pleasure as possible while still chasing his own was very, very heady. His fingers spun in tight circles over her bundle of nerves and soon she wasn’t thrusting her hips so much as she was arching into his touch and groaning loudly. 

“Yes, just like that,” she encouraged him breathlessly. 

“C’mon.I want to watch you come,” he told her, his voice dark. 

“I want to watch you too.”

“Then we’ll come together,” he promised her. 

The rocking of his hips, the insane perfection of his fingers rubbing her through her pants, the way he was kissing her neck and sucking at the skin, breathing hard in her ear… she finally just _let go_. With a cry, she shuddered and he groaned as he held her tight, gentling his touches as he eased her through her completion. And then he was stiffening too, his hips pushing hard against her before stilling and his gasps in her ear sounded like music. 

They lay like that for a long moment, just clasping each other and fighting to catch their breath. She felt… amazing. From her head down to her toes, the pleasure and relaxation just filled her and spread and warmed and… _wow_. There was nothing else like it. 

“Wow,” he gasped, echoing her thoughts. He rolled away from her, but didn’t go far. He pulled her against him, holding her close. She nestled her nose into his clavicle and breathed in the scent of his warm skin, his sweat.He was intoxicating.

“Wow is right,” she said, her lips brushing against his skin. She placed a soft kiss there before settling herself in further. 

“I’m not sorry we did that,” he told her. 

“Me either.”

There was a pause and she imagined he was smiling. She was smiling to. “We should get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

She drifted off, listening to the sound of his heart beating, feeling his warm arms around her. It felt like _heaven_. 

***

When the lights came on in the morning, she blinked her eyes open slowly.For one amazing moment, she remembered _everything_. It came to her with sudden brilliant clarity, taking her so much by surprise that she gasped out loud. But as quick as the memories came, they fled into the back of her mind once more. She made a noise of frustration and felt a hand on her arm, rubbing gently. 

It was him. She realized she’d woken him up right about the same time she remembered what they’d done before falling asleep the night before.Her cheeks burned as she flipped over to face him where he lay behind her. 

There was a crease between his eyes, still heavy from sleep, as he regarded her. “What is it?”

“I—“ She struggled for a moment with what to tell him. Would it crush him that she’d very nearly remembered everything but then lost it? On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine keeping it from him. Besides, it might be important. “I almost remembered.” 

He blinked and his eyes cleared. He propped up on an elbow, looking at her intently now. “Remembered what.” 

She shrugged a little helplessly. “Everything. But then it was all gone, like smoke being blown away by the wind.” 

He looked as frustrated as she felt and she reached up to smooth her palm over his stubbled cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. 

“It’s not your fault,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, his closeness, the lingering heaviness in her muscles that reminded her of that amazing release they’d given each other the night before. 

When he pulled away, she smiled at him. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied, smiling back. 

“So… last night…”

“…Was amazing,” he finished for her. 

She smiled back at him.

His smile grew larger. “I think I slept the best I have since waking up here. And not just because of what we did, amazing as that was.” She blushed as he continued. “But because I had you I my arms as I slept.”

Warmth spread through her at his words. “Same,” she told him. “I don’t think I cracked an eyelid all night long. I didn’t toss and turn or anything.”

He wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her against his chest and she burrowed in like she belonged there. Maybe she did. 

“I don’t know about you, but I intend to sleep wrapped around you every night from now on.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me,” she promised. 

“As much as I want to stay here right now, I think we need to get up.”

She groaned in protest. 

He chuckled and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t know about you, but I could stand to wash up a little. Nothing can be done about these clothes, but…”

He trailed off meaningfully and with a grumble she had to admit he was right. His situation was a bit worse than hers, but there was no doubting that their clothes were a mess and so were they. 

“Alright, fine,” she finally acquiesced, allowing him to pull her out of the bed. 

After he helped her steady on her feet, they immediately noticed some items on the table.There was the tray of coffee and pastries that usually arrived after lights came on, when they were awake and moving around. There was also two stacks of white cotton garments, one for each of them. 

She froze in the middle of the room, her eyes fixed to the sight. He froze too and she felt him reach for her arm. 

“Did they—?”

“Bring that sometime we were sleeping? Yes.” His jaw was set, giving him a hard, threatening look. If that look had been directed at her, she might have felt fear but she knew it was directed at this place, at _these people_. Their captors. 

Neither of them had to say anything; they both knew this meant that their captors knew what they’d gotten up to with each other last night. They’d been watching them _somehow_ and knew they would need fresh garments. The realization watched over her like a sickness, settling in her stomach.

There were no obvious cameras in here, not like there was in the exam room and the room where they had their sessions. Her skin began to creep with dread and she hugged her arms around herself, looking around the room. 

He pulled her to him, making gentle shushing noises.“I know,” he murmured softly. 

“I can’t believe—“ She choked off a sob. She felt so _violated_. 

“They’ll pay for this.” It was a promise, delivered with a low voice and no small amount of threat.She wound her arms around him, hugging him to her and borrowing from his strength.She had no doubt that he would make sure that happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you, but I find that SO DAMN CREEPY.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they're getting used to their lives in captivity, their captors change up the game on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would be updating this story early last week but my muse took a nosedive midweek and it stayed down throughout the weekend. Weekends are *hard* for productivity for me. With the family home, there's so much to distract me. But back in the week, I hope I can get back on track and get through chapter 5, which is a bit of a doozy and after that there'll be questions answered. *cracks knuckles* Wish me luck!

Despite their anger and overwhelming feelings of having been violated, the next few days passed the same routine they’d gotten used to. Every few days there was another session with Dr. Ambrose or an exam with Dr. Bridger. They got showers twice a week, on session and exam days, just like she’d asked for. If their situation hadn’t been completely awful, she might have celebrated the victory. They both got depressingly _used to it_. The books and games helped pass the time and kept them occupied between meals and lights out.

It still bothered her that she couldn’t figure out _why_ they were being kept here. She had no more clues as to why they’d been taken now than she did the day they’d woken up here. She found that more they made new memories, the lack of any sort of past bothered her more and more. Every time they were taken from the room, they would both try whatever they could think of to find out new information. 

He told her, one day after another round of blood tests and a shower, that he thought he saw light underneath one of the doors down the hall from where the exams took place. 

“So? All of these rooms and the hallway are lit during the day,” she pointed out. 

“No, it was _different_. You know how that end of the hallway is a little darker? How that one bulb is burnt out?” 

She’d noticed that on her way to the exam room that morning but hadn’t thought much of it. Light bulbs burnt out from time to time. So what?

“I saw the light underneath this door and it was… different. I think that room behind that door has a window.”

That got her attention. “A window??”

He nodded. “The light… shifted a little. I don’t know how to explain it. But I saw it and it felt… familiar?”

“We need to see if we can get in that room,” she told him. 

“I might try for it, the next time they take us for an exam,” he said. The session room was at the other end of the hall, so that wouldn’t work. 

“But the guards—“ He lifted a hand cutting her off but her worry remained. If he tried something, they might hurt him. 

“It’ll be worth it if we get some answers, right?”

“I don’t want you to be hurt.”

He put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing a little to soothe her. “Just trust me, okay?”

She grimaced. “I always trust you. Just… be careful.”

The next several days passed without much event. They played games, they re-read all the books they’d already read, they talked. There were no repeats of what they’d done together that one night, thought they did continue to exchange chaste kisses and hugs. They were reluctant to discuss the status of their relationship, saving those conversations for late at night, when the lights were out. They would whisper and hope that whatever they said remained between them. 

One night, they finally addressed the big question that was hanging over their heads. 

“I just… think its better if we hold off from getting too intimate,” he said softly one night a few days after they’d woken up to find the clean clothes waiting for them. 

“You mean sex,” she replied. 

His little huffing laugh delighted her. “Yes, sex. It doesn’t feel right, with them watching us.”

“I agree. I’m getting the feeling they want us to have sex too. I just… don’t want to play into their hands, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I agree.” 

“But I still want you,” she told him, biting her lip to hold back a smile. 

His eyes darkened as he leaned towards her. He dropped a pecking kiss on her lips. “I want you too.”

“But we agree these circumstances aren’t right.”

“No, not at all,” he agreed, looking for all the world as though he hadn’t heard a word she said as he dropped another kiss at the corner of her mouth. 

“It’s going to be hard,” she warned him. 

“It’s hard already.”

That made her laugh. He laughed too, but it came out with a bit of a groan. 

“Maybe this gives us a little extra push to try to get out of here?” she suggested hopefully. 

“I suddenly have a renewed goal,” he growled. 

“Good, that was the idea.” 

He retaliated by rubbing his scruff on her neck, making her squeal and try to writhe away from him. Secretly, of course, she loved it. She loved his scruffy jaw, how it felt scratchy against her cheek and chin and nose when they kissed. She knew he had access to a razor when he showered, just like she was with her legs and such, but he kept a few days growth. When she’d asked him _how_ , he told her he’d asked them for an electric razor with a clipper function. He told her that having some scruff felt better than going completely shaven, which he’d tried during their first week. She might never tell him, but she liked the way the scruff looked. He was a beautiful man, but the scruff tipped him over into _gorgeous_ territory. 

But thinking too much about that scruff would make it difficult to keep to what they’d agreed on. She needed less reasons to want to jump him, not more. 

***

On the morning of their next exam, they slept tangled in each other’s arms. They both got the best sleep that way. His scent filling her nose made her feel settled and her nerves calmed as he held her. She knew she did the same for him. 

She came awake with a jolt, to the sound of the door to their room swinging open. The lights weren’t even on yet, the usual signal that it was morning. Light streamed in from the white hallway behind and she blinked her eyes against it and the sudden intrusion of not two but four guards. 

“Wha—?” her friend said, pulled from sleep just as suddenly as she had been. 

The guards didn’t speak, but advanced on the bed where they lay.

He stiffened behind her, tightening his arms around her. But one of the guards grabbed her arm, pulling her away from him. 

“No!” she cried, thrown off balance and feeling confused and panicked.

“Let go of her!” he growled menacingly.

There was a brief struggle as her companion refused to release her.Another guard stepped up and pulled the taser from his belt. Recognizing it, she cried out sharply!

“No! Wait, don’t—!”

But it was too late. The guard pressed the taser to her companions chest and hit the trigger. He released her instantly, falling back on the bed. The guard with his hand in an iron grip around her arm pulled her off the bed and she stumbled after him, craning her neck to look behind her at where her friend lay. 

He was crumpled on the bed, but still looking at her. They had an entire conversation with their eyes as she was pulled from the room by two of the guards. 

_Don’t forget the plan._

_I haven’t._

_Try to find that room with the strange light._

_I need to protect you._

_Don’t fight. I’ll be okay._

_Come back safe._

She gave up struggling as the guards pulled her down the hall. She tried to calm her racing pulse, to keep her mind on what was happening around her and not on _him_ and what might be happening to him. Their number one priority right now was trying to find a way out of here. 

The room they took her to was the same as the last time. She tried to look for the door her friend had told her about and did see a light under a door near the end of the hallway but couldn’t tell anything more before she was pulled into the exam room and the door shut. The guards left her there with the nurse, who began to run the usual blood-work on her. She wasn’t asked any questions this time, which she found odd. The nurse usually asked her things about how she’d been feeling, if she’d had any headaches or stomachaches or anything like that. This time, it was business as usual. 

She was left sitting on the exam table while the nurse took the vials of blood from the room. It was normal to be left like this for a time before the nurse returned to either bring the doctor with her to finish the exam or tell her to take her shower. 

Today, her mind was on her companion and what he was doing. She knew they took him to a different room and strained to listen for him, to see if he’d tried to get to that room with the strange light under the door. But the soundproofing in this place was unreal and all she could hear was the sound of her own nervous tapping. 

The nurse returned and she was started to find a big smile on the other woman’s face. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the woman smile in the whole time she’d been here. She still didn’t speak, but there was no denying her obviously pleased demeanor as she went to the cabinet and pulled a new set of supplies out. She tried to watch what she was doing, see if she could figure out what was going on, but the nurse’s back blocked her view. 

Her anxiety began to spike. 

The nurse turned back around and she was surprised to see a syringe in her hand. She smiled at her. “Good news,” she said. “You’re not ready for _this_.”

She blinked at the woman, trying to decipher what she was saying. Ready… for an injection? Of what? “What is it?” she asked, already knowing her question would never be answered but she literally could not help asking. Another goddamn _needle_. She fought a shudder. 

“You know I can’t tell you that,” the nurse replied mildly. The woman pushed up the sleeve of her tunic and jabbed the needle into her flesh, near the shoulder. She winced at the slight pain and deliberately looked away. 

Whatever the injection was, it burned a bit afterwards. She rubbed at it mournfully as the nurse disposed of the used syringe. 

“You may take your shower now,” the nurse told her before leaving the room. 

Sighing, she did so but felt no small amount of resentment. This routine was getting old and not having any answers was making it all _worse_. She felt like she was going mad, with only her companion’s presence keeping her tethered and sane. 

She hurried through her shower as much as she could, wanting to get back to the room and see how her companion fared. Her concern for him, following him being tased on their bed, was a growing knot in her stomach. After she finished, she hurriedly toweled off and got dressed in the fresh pair of garments provided to her. She brushed her teeth and hair and then knocked on the door, letting the guards out in the hall she was ready. 

When they opened the door and she stepped out, she immediately looked down the hall towards the door with the suspicious light. One of the guards noticed her wandering attention and stepped in her line of vision. He shook his head. 

“Nothing to see there. Keep it moving,” he told her. 

It was more words than any of the guards had spoken to her, _ever_. 

She allowed them to lead her back to her room. She left them without a word, allowing them to close the door and latch it behind her. 

Her eyes went immediately to the only other occupant of the room. He was sitting at the table, his head in his hands. She rushed over to him, dropping to her knees when she reached him and putting her hand on his arm. 

He looked up and she gasped. There was a bruise along one side of his jaw. She lifted a hand but held herself back from touching it, wincing instead. 

“What happened??” she asked. 

He grimaced. “Well, before, when they tased me, I don’t think they used a full charge or anything. I was able to get up and walk just fine a few minutes later and I let them lead me down the hall. I shuffled my feet and kept my head down, letting them think that I was still suffering effects from the taser. It worked, I don’t think they were keeping as close an eye on me. When we got down the hall, I made a move. I jerked away and ran to the door that I told you about. I got to the knob and turned it… it was unlocked. I couldn’t believe it, but the knob turned and I’d just pushed it open when I was… tackled.”

Her mouth was hanging open. “Tackled?”

He nodded. “By the guards. Slammed into me, brought me to the ground. But… I looked up and for a moment, I saw…”

“Saw what?”

His eyes nearly sparkled and his lips twitched up. “The door was cracked open a bit and there was light in that room. I couldn’t see what else was there, but there was a…sunbeam”

She blinked. She tried to even imagine what that would look like and couldn’t grasp a single solid memory of it. “How do you _know_?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just _knew_. I saw that… shaft of light and thought… sunbeam. It wasn’t like the harsh white light in here. It was… soft and warm and… damn. Perfect.”

She felt a bone deep desire to see what he was talking about. It made her eyes prick and sting before filling with tears and she had to look away and bite her lip.His hand covered hers and held on, offering her strength. 

“Hey. You’ll see it. We’ll get out of here and get out in that light. I promise.”

She wanted to believe him. She really did. And she could see that he really wanted her to believe him too. So she gave him a shaky smile and nodded a little. 

“So why do you have this bruise?” she asked, her eyes tracing over the discoloring on his jaw. It looked swollen and painful. 

“Well, I wanted to see more of what was behind that door. That one glimpse wasn’t nearly enough. So I struggled and tried to get away, to see if I could push into that room and what was in there, what was outside the window… but the guards had other ideas. Ended up with me getting socked in the jaw and pinned down. They injected me with sedative and I came around in the exam room. The nurse came in, gave me an injection, and then left. Didn’t say a word. Took my shower and then I came back here to wait for you.”

“Wait, they injected you too?”

He nodded. “That’s new, huh?”

“It is.”She mulled it over. Before, they’d only ever been injected with sedative. This wasn’t that. The many possibilities about what the injection could be, however, did nothing to calm her anxiety. It made her start to believe she felt warmer than usual, that her skin was itching and causing her restlessness to increase. She stood up and paced away from the table. 

He stood up and crossed to her, drawing her into a hug. The itching in her skin eased slightly and she wrapped her arms around him, sinking into the embrace. 

“We are going to figure this out,” he told her. 

“We have to,” she vowed. 

***

Things changed from there. Their games and books disappeared first. When they woke the next morning, they were gone. It meant more time spent talking together, but that was hardly a hardship. What was difficult, however, was keeping their time together chaste. 

They’d both agreed that taking things further was a bad idea. And not just because of their lack of memories. But because they were being watched. Neither of them was comfortable with it, her especially. Every time she thought about their captors eavesdropping on them, her skin crawled. 

Still, that didn’t mean that she didn’t find herself _craving_ him. He was an attractive man, with a boyish smile and such expressive blue eyes… how many times did it feel like he was looking into her soul when their gazes met? That scruff that shadowed his jaw made him look just a little dangerous and was the perfect offset to that soft mouth of his. He had an amazing profile, something that looked like the gods could have chiseled it out of marble to put on display. While she’d not seen him out of his garments yet, she could see the muscles on his arms clearly and she could feel how hard the planes of his chest were. He had to have amazing abs. He _had_ to. And it was driving her just a little bit mad not to be able to see them for herself. 

Plus, when he looked at her with his eyes darkened, his expression full of heat and desire, she felt herself actually melt inside. 

But this wasn’t the time for that and it _definitely_ wasn’t the place. So they kept things limited to hugs and chaste kisses. If he lingered on her lips now and then, well, she wasn’t going to complain. But she knew it couldn’t go further. It _couldn’t_. 

So long conversations about what amounted to nothing (given they had no stories to share) were what they had. And it was okay. That’s how they’d begun in this place, after all. 

But their captors weren’t done shaking things up, apparently. Because their meals changed. Where before they’d had full meals with variety and even the occasional sweet treat to enjoy, now they were served bowls of suspicious looking glop and were forced to share water out of a jug that was delivered (and not refreshed until the next day). One a day, they got a couple of slices of bread to add to the glop. 

“What _is_ it?” he’d asked, his nose wrinkled as he spooned through the bowl of greyish goo. 

She’d sniffed at it. There was nothing remarkable at all about it. Nearly tasteless, no real scent… terrible consistency. It made her want to gag to eat it. “I have no idea. Some sort of protein… soup.”

“Lovely.”

But they had to eat it because it was all they were given. She began to wonder if they were being punished for something. 

The sessions with Dr. Ambrose stopped. The exams ended as well, which was a relief at first, but then she realized it also meant no more showers. Now and then, guards would come in, restrain them and inject them. Having to watch each other be held down for the injections was horrible. She knew it was harder for her companion to see her struggle and cry out so she tried to keep calm. For his sake. Afterwards, they would hold each other and not speak for long stretches of time. 

Conditions deteriorated rapidly. Instead of the twice weekly showers she’d begun to take for granted, they were forced to rely on washing themselves using the water in the sink. The bar of soap they’d been given was rapidly growing smaller. 

They were both losing weight. He was trying to keep himself in shape by doing exercises on the floor of their room… pushups and situps mostly. She would sit and watch him, partly for lack of anything else to do, partly because he moved with such fluid grace. Even losing weight, he managed to remain strong. 

There was no denying that their conditions were deteriorating. But why? After the way it seemed like their captors wanted to make them happy in the beginning, what was the purpose of upsetting them now? Was this all just some big social experiment about the most brutal way to make people crack under pressure? 

How would she even _begin_ to tolerate this without _him_ here with her? 

The thought that they might take him from her, that maybe that was the next “step” in all of this came to her like a bucket of ice water. Games and showers and books and food and everything… she could do without that. But without him, she’d lose her mind. 

She thought maybe the same thought must have occurred to him too because while he didn’t say anything, he held onto her extra tight at night. If nothing else, they’d become even closer through all of this. Which just added an extra layer of frustration on top of their chastity promise to one another. Her body was screaming out to her, for her to accept a fully realized connection with him. And she was denying that inner cry. Day in and day out, she denied it. 

She hated it. 

But then… things got worse. 

It started the morning they took him from the room. She thought maybe the exams were starting again or a session with Dr. Ambrose. But he didn’t return for a long time. It felt like half the day had passed. And when he did return, it was clear that he’d been beaten. 

His face was bruised, his clothes were rumpled and there was a blood stain or two that hadn’t been there that morning. He looked weak and shaken and she immediately guided him to the bed. She used a damp cloth, torn from the bottom of the curtain that offered their bathroom area a little privacy, to wipe at the cuts on his face and on his arms. She carefully lifted his tunic, to see if he had any injury on his torso. She had to bite off a gasp when she saw him. 

He had bruises on his sides, like he’d been kicked. There were scars of all kinds scattered across his flesh. There were a couple tattoos that her eyes skated over as she looked for fresh injuries. She found a cut that she cleaned and frowned when he sucked in a breath as she touched his ribs. Bruised. Tears pricked her eyes. 

“Did they ask you any questions?” she asked gently as she worked on him. 

He shook his head. “No. They just… hurt me. I think they were trying to scare me, but I honestly don’t know. It wasn’t unbearable but it wasn’t pleasant either,” he told her, his voice raspy. 

When she finished, she laid down next to him, her arms wrapped gently around him, and just held him. It wasn’t fair. 

The next day, they came for them both. When he saw the guards grab her, his eyes went wide. 

“No! No, not her! Here, take me, do whatever you want but leave her!”

The guards just nodded to her and proceeded to drag her from the room first. Her heart was pounding in her throat she was so scared. She tried to hide it from her companion but he saw. He saw and she hated the pain she saw reflected in his eyes as they were both taken from the room. 

She was taken to a dark room. She didn’t even know this place _had_ any rooms that weren’t brightly white. But this room was bathed in darkness, with only a single light in the center of the room, hanging over a table. The corners were hidden in shadow. She was brought to the table and strapped down to it, much like she’d been strapped down during her first exam. 

But then? The guards left. And she was left alone. 

Fear wouldn’t allow her to sleep. There in the dark, she only had the thundering of her heart to keep her company as she listened for any sounds, anything. She tried to call out but eventually, her voice turned hoarse so she gave in. Trying to move against the restraints was also futile and only resulted in raw skin at her wrists and ankles. 

Tears leaked out of her eyes, running down into her hair. What were they doing to her companion? Were they hurting him again? Was he worried about her? Because, hell, she was worried about _him_. So much. This wasn’t what he’d described to her, and as scary as it was, she wasn’t being actually hurt by these sadists. Not yet, anyway. She hoped he was okay. 

She lost all track of time there in that dark room, her eyes averted from the single light that hung over where she was strapped down. She tried to think of other things, to remember her time with _him_ and getting back to him. Her skin itched again. 

Finally, the heavy door to the room swung open. Two guards entered, flanking the nurse that she recognized from her exams. She didn’t have a smile on her face. She carried a tray with a hypodermic needled on it. She stopped a few feet from the table she was strapped to and nodded her head at the guards. 

She swallowed down her anxiety as the guards advanced on her. Were they going to let her up? Or…?

Her question was soon answered when one of the guards drew back his hand and then cracked her across the face. Her head snapped to the side, fire exploding across the whole side of her face. She yelped at the sharp pain and the shock of the hit. Her voice echoed off the walls of the room and no sooner had the sound died then she had another hit, this time on the other side of her face from the other guard. 

She hadn’t even seen that one coming. 

She was openly sobbing now; the pain radiating from her face excruciating. She blinked open her eyes and saw the nurse approach her, dispassionate expression firmly in place. She tried to cringe back from the woman, her tears falling freely now, but the restraints held her firmly in place. The whimper that escaped her lips was undignified but she couldn’t help herself. 

“Hold her arm still,” the nurse instructed the guards. 

One of them, the first man who struck her, grabbed her just above the elbow, holding her firmly in place. His fingers were like a vice around her arm and she could feel each finger pressing into her flesh, leaving bruises behind. 

The nurse stepped up, the needle in her hand. Without so much as a look at her face, she plunged the needle into her upper arm. She tried to bite back a scream but a choked, feral noise made it out. One of the guards smirked at her. 

“Take her back to the room,” the woman said as she drew back. 

The guards released her restraints and she wanted so badly to fight them but she couldn’t find the strength. Her face felt like it was on fire, her arm was sore from the needle and from the hard grip the guard had used… she’d lain there for who knows how many hours, held in stasis, awaiting for this brief but memorable torture. 

So instead, she shook as the guards pulled her up off the table. 

Her head spun as she was pulled upright for the first time all day but they didn’t wait for her to steady herself. She was pulled between them, essentially dragged from this terrible room. After the darkness, the harsh bright whiteness of the hallway beyond was an assault on her eyes. 

The walk back to the room was disorienting and she had a hard enough time just keeping her bearings, never mind keeping her wits. Soon, another door was pulled open and she was pushed roughly inside. 

She stumbled, falling to her knees and feeling the hard floor as she held herself up with her hands, willing her limbs to stop shaking.She heard the door clang shut and a moment later, a pair of hands grabbed her arms and lifted her up. 

It was him. His eyes were wide as he took in her appearance, no doubt noticing the bruising on her face and the fresh tear tracks. She had to look like an absolute wreck.His jaw clenched as his eyes turned hard. 

“What did they do to you?”

“Are you okay?” she asked him. It looked like he had a fresh welt under one of his eyes but she couldn’t see more of him to judge.What had they done to him this time? 

“Forget about me, I’m asking you, what did they do to you?” he growled. 

She gulped down a sob. “They didn’t do much, at least at first. I was just strapped to a table in a dark room. But then, the nurse came in and the… the guards hit me.Across the face.Then she injected me and I was brought back here.”

“God _fucking_ damn it!” He was furious and while she might have been touched at his concern for her at any other time, she really had to know if _he_ was okay. 

“What about you?” 

He pulled her over to the bed and they sat. “I’m okay. Nothing worse than last time. I was sick with worry for you,” he told her. 

“I was too. For you. I couldn’t stop thinking about what they might be doing to you,” she admitted tearfully. 

His eyes searched hers, his breathing hard. Her skin continued to itch and she wanted to run her hands over him, to assure herself that he was okay. She’d been so _worried_. 

“I only want to keep you safe,” he muttered, his eyes burning into hers. “That’s all I ever want, even more than my own memories, is you _safe_.”

“I am safe,” she insisted. “When I’m with you, I’m safe.”

He groaned and yanked her forward. She met him in the middle in a crashing, all-consuming kiss. She threw her arms around him, pulling him close and tight and gave herself over as he kissed her ferociously, with all his heart and all his passion. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite captives take their relationship to the next level... and in the weeks and months afterwards things change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this chapter is NSFW. If you aren't into that sort of thing, skip over the first section. 
> 
> I want to thank everyone who is reading this story. It means a lot to me. Every view, kudos and comment (as well as reblog and like on Tumblr) gives me a push to keep writing. So thank you guys. I really super appreciate it.

_“I only want to keep you safe,” he muttered, his eyes burning into hers. “That’s all I ever want, even more than my own memories, is you safe.”_

_“I am safe,” she insisted. “When I’m with you, I’m safe.”_

_He groaned and yanked her forward. She met him in the middle in a crashing, all-consuming kiss. She threw her arms around him, pulling him close and tight and gave herself over as he kissed her ferociously, with all his heart and all his passion._

This wasn’t a chaste kiss. This wasn’t even the heady, affectionate kisses they’d shared that one night when their passions had spiked and they’d driven each other over the edge, rocking against one another in the dark. This was burning need and she tasted it on his tongue as he stroked it into her mouth. That desire filled her too, and the itching in her skin that had been ever-present since that evil nurse had given her the first injection exploded into a riot of sensation. 

That itch coalesced in the fire that was now running through her veins, making her throb all over. She moaned into his mouth as she tangled her tongue with his. His hands were all over her, touching her over the garments she wore, igniting her desire even more. She could feel his barely leashed strength as he held her and touched her, holding back. She wanted him to let go. She wanted to see what that would be like. 

Her heart was racing and while the small voice in the back of her head was reminding her why this was a bad idea, it just felt so good to be in his arms. That was what she’d hungered for back when she was strapped to that table. Just _him_. And this connection they had. 

Now she was here, she was kissing him like she’d been wanting to, pouring everything inside of her into this kiss and wanting _more_ … 

They moved together, both seeking more contact, and he used his strength to maneuver her back onto the bed, underneath him. His weight settled over her and she arched into him, loving the way that felt. Her hands were all over his back, sneaking under his tunic to feel at his hot skin. More. She needed that skin pressed against hers. 

He groaned as she touched him, such a rich and amazing sound that she immediately wanted to hear it again. She nibbled at his lip which made him growl and she discovered that she enjoyed _that_ sound too. He was grinding against her and she welcomed it, cradling his hips with her legs. 

With a gasp, he pulled his mouth from hers. His eyes were darkened as he looked down at her searchingly. “I’m so sorry—“ he began. She lifted a hand, placing a finger over his lips. 

“Don’t be sorry.”

“I just…” He sighed and closed his eyes and she cupped his cheek in her palm. “I want you so bad. I feel like I _need_ you and I’m having a hard time restraining myself.”

“I feel that too,” she assured him. 

“Tell me to stop. Please… I’ll stop if you tell me to.”

He looked anguished and she wanted to take that away from him. And she knew there was only one way that she could. Rubbing her thumb over his cheek, she smiled at him. Even as her skin itched and burned and she could feel her desire for him pulsing like a living thing inside of her, she kept her smile sweet and gentle. 

“Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

The dark, hungry look was back in his eye in an instant. “Are you sure?They’re watching us.”

“So what?” she asked, shrugging her shoulder a little. “They’re assholes. _Clearly_. But I don’t want to let them take the _one good thing_ about this place from me.”

“But…” His eyes were stormy and conflicted. 

“These people rule our lives, dictate when and what we eat, they control so much of our lives… except _this_.This is _ours_.”

His mouth fell open a little, a look of wonder replacing the hunger in his gaze. “You’re right,” he told her. 

“You give me the only comfort and companionship I can get in this terrible place. They can’t take that. I won’t let them.”

“You give me the same,” he said earnestly, dropping a kiss to her forehead. 

“I don’t care about them. I care about _you_.” 

That was all that needed to be said, really. And this wasn’t about words. This was about coming together and comfort and connection. This was about making an unbearable situation just a little more bearable. 

“This is the last time I’ll ask: are you _sure_?” His eyes were serious on hers but she could see the slight tremor in his lips, how his cheeks were flushed. He was aroused, as much as she was, and barely holding on by a thread. 

She nodded her head furiously. “Yes. Very sure. Please… I need you.”

Her words broke the dam in him. He kissed her hungrily, thumbs stroking at her cheeks and jaw as he cupped her head. Her own fingers dug into his back. He pressed his hips to hers and she could feel where he was hard, rubbing against her hip. 

Stripping down to fully explore one another wasn’t really much of an option. As much as they both didn’t want these assholes who held them captive to take _this_ away from them, they still wanted to keep some things. She had hope they would get free of this place and she knew he did too. Then… _then_ she would strip herself down to her skin and him as well and take her time learning his body.

This moment here, wasn’t about learning or exploring or growing. This moment was connection and rebellion and fulfilling their desire. She knew she was running over with it, had been for _days_ now. To be able to unleash it now felt… freeing. 

He kissed down her neck, paying special attention to the spot just under her jawbone, right below her ear. A shiver coursed through her as his strong lips worked against her skin, his scruff scratching in on her neck and ear and jaw. She felt like a life wire, pulsing with electricity, sparking and jolting off her finger tips as she reached up to his head, scratching her nails through his hair. 

He moaned into her neck, kissing down until he reached the join with her shoulder, using his tongue to salve the nibbles he gave to her flesh. He kept his attention there, nosing aside the fabric of her tunic slightly to kiss along her collarbone. 

Their primitive grinding against one another had been amazing but it had been fast and fevered. This, right here and right now, was slower and so purposeful. Her toes were curling already and he’d barely touched her. Just his lips on her skin was making her want to pant and writhe. One of his hands began to smooth down her side, reaching up underneath her tunic. She felt his fingers, rough and warm and calloused, on her breast and she arched into his palm. 

“So good,” she murmured as he plucked at her nipples. She could feel them standing stiff and sensitive, waiting for his attentions.

“I wish I could taste you,” he murmured, his lips brushing her throat. 

She might not have had any specific memories of any past sexual experience but his words evoked a very strong mental image. She knew _exactly_ what he meant and the revelation that he wanted to do _that_ to _her_ made her feel like bursting into flames. 

“I wish you could too,” she said and meant every word. 

“I would take my time,” he explained, dropping soft kisses over the top of her tunic, down to the valley between her breasts. “I would see how many times I could make you come, drink up every last drop you gave me. Over and over again.”

“God…” she breathed, screwing her eyes shut and arching as he lifted her tunic just enough to drop a kiss near her belly button. 

“I’ll do it. When we’re out of here, I promise you, I’m going to devour you.”

“You keep saying things like that and I’ll tunnel out of here on my own,” she promised him. 

He chuckled, pressed another kiss to her belly, and then moved back up her body. He hovered over her again, his mouth just inches from her own. 

“I love kissing you,” he told her, before he did just that. It was perfect; hot, wet and heartfelt. She didn’t _know_ him but she knew him better than she knew anyone. As well as she knew herself. 

He slid her pants down and off, but quickly covered her, first with his own body and then with the blanket. His own pants were pushed down far enough to where she could feel him, _all_ of him, pressed against her. She reached down and touched him, enjoying how his eyes fell shut and his mouth fell open as she stroked the hard length of him. He felt big in her hand, hot and ready. Her mouth watered and she knew that as badly as he wanted to taste her, she wanted to taste him too. 

But for now, she had other things in mind. They both did. He leveraged himself up, resting his weight on one elbow so he could touch her more freely. His palm skated over her belly, his thick fingers brushing against the skin near the apex of her thighs and making her jump in anticipation. 

She clung to him as he stroked her. It was so much better than what they’d done before, and now that she knew what it was like to have him touch her like this, skin to skin and— oh yes… _just like that_ — she knew this was to perfect to be a one time thing. Regardless what happened going forward, if they never got out of here or if they got out tomorrow… _this_ was going to have to happen again. And again. 

“God, yes,” she moaned as he circled her clit with his finger. She lifted her hips towards his hand, yearning for more contact, more pressure, just _more_. 

He pressed two fingers into her channel and groaned into her neck before lifting his head again. “You’re so wet, it’s driving me crazy.”

This big, beautiful man being a little crazy with lust for her was nothing short of amazing. “Please… I need you inside me,” she begged. 

He made a strangled noise, “Yes…” 

He pulled off of her a little, keeping the blanket covering their lower halves. His eyes held hers as he coaxed her legs open further, to wrap around his waist. He leaned back over her and she felt his cock pressing at her entrance and she bit her lip but kept her eyes on his. As he pushed inside, he kissed her deeply, swallowing her gasp. 

He stretched her, filled her, completed her even more than she would have thought possible. They both made noises, swallowed by each other, but humming with contentment and pleasure. After a prolonged moment, during which she dug her nails meaningfully into his shoulder blades, he began to move. 

He pulled out and pushed back in slowly and methodically. Her hips were angled enough so that he brushed against her clit on each thrust, making her gasp. He continued to kiss her, along her jaw, on her neck, her lips… She was surrounded by him, consumed by him. Everything else faded way and it was just them, moving in this timeless push-pull that was more about two halves reuniting than it was about just _sex_. 

Tears pricked her eyes as she kissed him back, her thighs squeezing his hips and her heels digging into his ass as he thrust. If she’d known it would be like this… if either of them had known… there was no way they could have stayed away from one another. And there was no way they would do so in the future. She was sure of it. This was the one thing in this horrid place that felt _right_. 

“You feel…” he breathed into her skin, “you’re so… god… this feels so fucking _good_.”

Her pleasure was starting to spike, causing her to writhe more underneath him. “So good,” she agreed. “More…”

“What do you need?” 

“…So close!”

She grabbed one of his hands and brought it down between their bodies. He got the hint and lifted off of her enough to fit his hand down to where he was thrusting into her. He felt around a little and she imagined he was feeling his own length, plunging in and out of her body. The thought made her groan and arch her back. 

Then, his finger was sliding over her clit. When she cried out, he focused his attention there, his thrusts speeding up as he flicked at the taut bundle of nerves. Her hips were bucking against his now, against his fingers, encouraging the movement, the friction… 

“More! Harder!” she cried. 

“Oh… fuck. Come for me, baby. Please…” he begged, sounding strained and she knew that must mean he was close. He felt tense all over, his arms shaking as he thrust harder than ever, the bed creaking and groaning with their frenzied movements. 

The sound of their flesh smacking together underneath the blanket is what ultimately sent her over. The sensation that had built up and built up and built up inside of her released like a spring that had been wound too tight. She held him tight as she cried out and she could feel him fucking her through the orgasm, his hips snapping into hers and then holding still as he cried something out into the flesh of her shoulder. His cock pulsed inside of her as he filled her with his release. She continued holding him, riding out the aftershocks of her pleasure. 

It was a long while before either of them moved. She might have dozed off. The next thing she was aware of was his lips pressing against her shoulder and the soft brush of his huffing laugh. 

“What?” she asked him, her voice rough and sleepy. 

“I just didn’t expect… that,” he admitted.With a groan, he pushed off of her, his now softening cock sliding out of her and making her whimper a little with the loss of it. He pulled her to his side and she rested her cheek on his chest while he stroked her back. 

“Me either. That was incredible.”

He hummed in agreement and she could feel his heart still thundering underneath her ear. She snuggled closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and winding one of her legs over the top of one of his. 

“Do you regret it?” he asked her, sounding hesitant. 

She stilled for a moment before turning her face and pressing a kiss to the pectoral she was resting against. “Never.”

“Me either. I wish we’d done it sooner.”

It was her turn to chuckle. “Me too.”

***

From there, they established a new normal. Except that it wasn’t normal at all. There was no schedule anymore. The lights would come on or stay off for irregular intervals. The food was delivered at odd times. They were each taken out of the room so irregularly that they couldn’t keep track of when it was happening or how often. If the goal was to keep them disoriented, it was working. 

But they had each other. And that was proving to be their only saving grace in all of this. If their captors knew about their newfound intimate relationship, which they undoubtedly did, they didn’t let on. She hadn’t expected disapproval. She rather wondered if the two of them having sex wasn’t the goal all along. The notion made her skin crawl. 

She wasn’t creeped out enough to stop this newfound relationship with him, however. And neither was he. Sometimes, especially after their little _torture_ sessions, neither of them wanted to do much more than just hold one another. But sometimes, coming together was the only way they knew how to get out their frustration, their despair and their hope. When she could tell he needed it, she would urge him to lay back and she’d do all the work, gyrating on top of him, smoothing her hands over the hard planes of his chest until he released. Other times, when she was feeling the hopelessness close in, he would lavish her with kisses and slide into her from behind as he spooned her, rocking together while he thumbed her clit. 

They were in their own little world underneath that blanket. They had each other and nothing else existed, nothing else mattered. And their time together, in that bed, was one of the few times they could count on their captors leaving them alone. Never once did the door open while they were fucking, having sex, making love… Never once. 

They never hurt her when she was taken, for which they were both very grateful. Mostly, she was left strapped to the table just like she’d been the first time. Sometimes she was struck in the face, but sometimes she wasn’t. The not knowing if this time would result in her being hit made her anxiety climb, which was probably what they wanted. Blood was drawn regularly. The injections seemed to happen as much on a cycle as anything else, but she had a hard time tracking it. 

Her brain felt like it was turning to mush. 

An indiscriminate amount of time passed.She had no idea, except that she’d been intimate with her companion a lot longer than she hadn’t, by her memory. Months, maybe? Weeks, at the very least. But months felt depressingly correct. So much time. Was anyone missing her?Did her loved ones think she was dead? 

One day, when they were both taken, there was a small change. Everything was pretty much the way she expected it to be, horrifically the same, until after they drew her blood. Normally, that awful nurse whose face she’d grown to detest would leave with the vial of her blood and return a while later to inject her and release her. Today, however, was different. 

It took a lot longer for the nurse to return and she tried not to let that fact make her more nervous than she already was. The longer she spent here, the more time that elapsed from when she’d first woken up in this place, the more unsettled she felt. The more certain she became that being here was wrong. And laying, strapped to this table, was the most unnerving situation of them all. She felt exposed, vulnerable and weak. She found she hated feeling weak. She hated it more than anything else. It made her want to punch and kick and scream and bite her way out of this place.

She began to wonder if they’d forgotten her here. Had something happened with her companion? Was he taking their attention away from her? She hoped he was okay… they’d made slow, leisurely love that morning and she could still feel the ache of their joining between her legs. She wanted to be back with him, back in his arms, where she belonged.

She tried not to panic too much, laying there on that cold, hard table all alone. She closed her eyes against the bright light that hung over her and willed herself not to cry. Her focus should be on figuring out who these people are, what they wanted and how they could escape.

Eventually, the door to the room opened and her heart leapt in anticipation. It fell a moment later when she recognized Dr. Bridger entering the room just behind the Evil Nurse from Hell. She hadn’t seen him since, well… since these people had pulled the plug on the amenities. She almost couldn’t believe her eyes as he approached the table.

The stocky man peered down at her through his classes. “Why isn’t she sedated?” he asked Evil Nurse.

She looked started. “Oh!I— I uh… When I got the results of her draw, I just came right to you. I didn’t think to come back here to sedate her. I mean we’ve never actually had this _happen_ yet—“

The doctor held up a hand, cutting her off. He glared at the nurse and sighed. “Clearly we should have gone over protocol a little more carefully,” he muttered. “Sedate her so I can do the exam, unless you _want_ to have her fight us and possibly interfere with the results.”

Evil Nurse just dipped her head and disappeared into the shadows for a moment, returning with a syringe in her hand. She fought against her restraints, not wanting to be sedated. They’d examined her in the past without sedation and while she wouldn’t necessarily complain about being out of commission during an exam. It’d been a long time since she’d had one but she remembered the horror of having people poking around her body while she was strapped down to a table.

So she screwed her eyes shut and felt the sharp prick of the needle in her arm. First, her nose and lips felt funny, then her eyelids drooped. Then… nothing at all.

***

When she came too, the first thing she noticed was that bright light over her bed. She closed her eyes again, wincing against it. 

“She’s coming around, ma’am,” someone said. One of the guards, she thought. The voice was vaguely familiar. 

“Excellent.Very good indeed.” That was Evil Nurse. She sounded… happy. Which was super creepy, as far as she was concerned. 

She blinked her eyes open, squinting against the bright light hanging over her and turning her face away from it. Her head ached again, like it had when she’d first woken up here. For one brief, panicked second, she worried her memories were gone again. But then she calmed when she realized she remembered everything that had happened here, she remembered her companion. 

That was the important part. 

Once she focused on him, she was able to keep calm. The guards unfastened her restraints and pulled her to a sitting position. She’d been laying down for who knows how long and her muscles were stiff and weak. Evil Nurse was still there, which was different. She usually left and then the guards released her. Today was just full of surprises. 

“Can you stand?” Evil Nurse asked her. 

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. Her legs felt like jelly. 

The guards pulled her off the table and she tested her legs. After a moment, she felt steady enough and she nodded to the Evil Nurse. 

“Excellent. Now, follow me.”

“Are we going back to the room?” she asked her. 

Evil Nurse was already striding out the door without so much as a backwards glance. The guards had her upper arms grasped and they walked her out the door. 

“We are not going back to the room.”

“Where are we going?” 

The witch didn’t answer. 

She began to worry about her companion again. “Where’s my friend?”

“You mean Subject 207?”

She blinked. “I… guess?”

“He’s fine.”

They walked in silence down the long hall and past the door to what she thought of as “her” room. Or “their” room, rather. 

“If he’s Subject 207, who am I?” she asked, curious now. 

“Why, Subject 208, of course.”

Of _course_. 

Her interest piqued when they neared the darker end of the hall, where the door that her friend, _Subject 207_ , had seen the light. Her heart started to race as the nurse stopped outside the door. She waited until the guards caught up with her before opening it. 

She stopped in the doorway, her jaw falling open as she saw this room for the first time. There were indeed windows along the back of the room. Beyond… trees. Actual, real-life trees. Most them were evergreens… pines and redwoods. She could see branches swaying in a breeze. Sunlight beamed down and through the window, landing in a puddle of golden light on the carpeted floor of the room. 

Carpet. This room was unlike any other room she’d seen in this place. Where everywhere else had been sterile, colorless, _lifeless_ … This room bloomed with color, life and… warmth. It was completely different from anywhere else in this godforsaken place that it stunned her speechless. 

In addition to the carpet covering the floor, there were bookcases filled with books (so many that it made her fingers itch to get her hands on some of them), pictures hung on the walls, potted plants dotted the surfaces… There was a sofa that stretched along one wall, looking soft and inviting. A large wood desk dominated the room, in front of it sat two chairs and behind it, sat Dr. Bridger. He smiled benignly at her and gestured her towards one of the seats in front of the desk. 

She glanced at the guards before stepping forward and sitting down. Evil Nurse bent to whisper something into his ear. He nodded and she briskly departed the room, shutting the door behind her. She was distracted from the guards until they grabbed her wrists. 

“Wha—?”

They pulled her arms behind her, zip-tying her hands together and to the back run of the chair. She gaped as they did the same to each of her ankles to the legs of the chair. She looked to Dr. Bridger who looked utterly unapologetic. 

“I think this meeting would go better if I didn’t have to worry about you trying to escape halfway through,” he said, as way of explanation as the guards left the room.

She glowered. He was right, of course, but still. Being in a room like this, that was as close what she thought of as a “normal” space as she could ever remember seeing and being _tied up_ was reminding her of just how abnormal her current situation was. Here she sat in stained garments, her hair was dirty and tangled, her body sore from being strapped to a table for hours, her arm sore from injections and blood draws… She found she had to look away and blink her eyes to hold back the sudden rush of tears. 

“Where is my… friend?” she asked. 

Dr. Bridger gave her a rather patronizing smile. “I imagine you are upset at being separated from him, yes?”

It grated her that he said this so knowingly. He _knew_ that there was a bond between them and it was likely because these maniacs had made sure there was. Still, there was no denying the connection between them, especially not _now_. She was less than interested in playing with these people. 

“Are you going to tell me or not?” She didn’t bother to keep the impatience out of her voice. 

Dr. Bridger’s forehead furrowed. “No need for that tone. He is fine and on his way here.”

Her heart quickened. While seeing him trussed up the way she was wasn’t high on her list of things she wanted to see, she couldn’t deny that she would deal with all of this a lot better with him here with her. 

“You’re happy to hear this, I can see.” 

She didn’t reply. She didn’t want to give this vermin the satisfaction of her answer. 

The silence was uncomfortable until the door opened once more. She craned her neck as far as she could but wasn’t quite able to see the doorway from where she was sitting. But she heard him enter the room, flanked by guards as she had been. Evil Nurse entered her field of vision first.She went around the desk and stood there at the ready, like some sort of guard dog. 

“Come in, have a seat,” Dr. Bridger greeted, indicating the empty seat. 

As her friend took his seat, she noticed another person join them, sitting on the sofa.It was Dr. Ambrose, whom she hadn’t seen in weeks. She blinked at the woman before turning her attention to her friend. She had to bite back a noise at the appearance of him. 

They’d worked him over _hard_ today. His eye was already blackened and there was an angry red bruise along his jaw. He held himself gingerly, telling her that he probably had bruised ribs. There was a scrape on his cheek and his knuckles looked raw, as did his wrists and ankles. 

“Are you okay?” she asked as the guards bound him to the chair the same way they’d bound her. 

He winced as the zip tie was tightened around his sore wrists but nodded. “Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “Are _you_ okay?”

She nodded back. “They mostly just made me wait. They took my blood like usual and that’s when things got really strange.“

His eyebrows drew together. “Strange, how?”

“Well, Dr. Bridger came in and then they sedated me—“

She was about to elaborate on how Dr. Bridger had examined her and then when she’d woken being brought here, but Dr. Bridger cleared his throat, interrupting her. “Before you go on, I know you both have many questions.”

Their attention snapped to him. 

He paused and then looked to the Evil Nurse. He nodded once at her and she dipped her head before walking out of the room. She took the guards with her and the door was closed, leaving them alone, bound, with the two doctors. She swallowed nervously. 

“And?” she prompted. 

The moment hung in the air and she turned to glance at her friend. He was looking every bit as intent as she was, his eyes sharp on Dr. Bridger. She wet her lips, feeling her heart pound in her chest. She didn’t want to appear too eager but there was no hiding how very much having some answers meant to both of them. 

“First of all, my name is Gerald Bridger. And this is Laura Ambrose,” he said, indicating Dr. Ambrose on the sofa. She nodded and smiled at the both of them. It might have felt like an average introduction, had the two of them not been zip tied to chairs, wearing old and soiled garments, with her friend beaten and bruised. 

“Now that you know our names,” Dr. Ambrose said, and she had little doubt that those were not their real names, “we can have a proper conversation.”

Dr. Bridger nodded. “Indeed.Do either of you have any questions?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captives finally get the answers they seek, but will they like what they hear? And what comes next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the moment so many of you have been waiting for: we get answers from the people holding them captive. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is reading and commenting, reblogging and liking and retweeting and just... giving me your support. That's the best part of doing this. I appreciate every bit of it more than you know.

_“Now that you know our names,” Dr. Ambrose said, “we can have a proper conversation.”_

_Dr. Bridger nodded. “Indeed.Do either of you have any questions?”_

She stared, first at Dr. Bridger and then at Dr. Ambrose. Were they serious? Her mind reeled, fumbling for a question to ask, unable to believe that this was actually happening.

“Before we begin, we must inform you that if you get irrational and unproductive, this meeting will end. So please, do keep things civil and we will answer your questions,” Dr. Ambrose told them. She shifted in her chair, testing the zip ties and wincing at how the plastic cut into her wrists. It didn’t seem there was much a choice being given to them right now about “keeping civil”. 

“What happened to our memories?” her friend asked. She was relieved he was the first to ask because she was still gaping at their new circumstances. 

“Ah, yes. It’s really an amazing invention,” Dr. Bridger said, a proud smile in place. 

“We worked on this for years, before starting this study, perfecting the precision. It’s non-surgical, which is the really incredible part. It’s all chemical, delivered via an injection,” Dr. Ambrose explained. She fought a shudder at the thought of all the unfortunate people who these creeps might have tested their memory altering drug on before they got it just right. 

“Why are we here? Who are we?” 

The doctors exchanged a look before Dr. Bridger cleared his throat. “To best explain why you are here, perhaps we should tell you a little more about who we are and what we do.”

“We met, many years ago, on a university campus. Despite being from different disciplines in the medical community, myself with psychology and him as a physician, we found we both had similar interests when it came to research,” Dr. Ambrose filled in. 

“We set up very successful research studies on campus,” Dr. Bridger said. 

“The students called us the Love Doctors,” Dr. Ambrose said with a smile. However, her partner fixed her with a sharp look and she snapped her mouth shut, looking chastised. 

“Yes, well we don’t speak of that because unfortunately, it became clear that the university did not agree with our research methods, though the results were no doubt groundbreaking,” Dr. Bridger explained. “It necessitated us finding a new means of carrying on and furthering our research. Our search lead us out here and we found this place in which to continue our studies.You two are our tenth pair since we started up operations here.”

She recalled what Dr. Ambrose had told her during their first session about a dozen other couples. “Why have we never seen any of the other… er… subjects?”

Dr. Ambrose smiled. “We only have two other couples here at the moment. A pair we brought in several months before you, and one we brought in just last months.We try to keep you all separated and on different schedules and protocols. It helps prevent tainting the experiment.”

Her friend made an impatient noise in his throat. “What _is_ the experiment?”

“We’re studying the physiological and psychological effects of love. Falling in love, falling out of love, _being_ in love… staying in love. We’re trying to determine if there is a way to predict or encourage particular results, which is why our testing group has been so large. We’re actually looking for even more couples for the study in the future, to get an even clearer picture.”

She fought the urge to gape at both doctors. “Are you saying we _signed up for this_?”

They chuckled, which she found infuriating. How could they _laugh_ about this? 

“No, my dear.You did not. Our first eight pairs did, which was our original goal with the project,” Dr. Bridger said. “But we learned soon that these volunteers did not have what we sought and knew we couldn’t make a comprehensive analysis without certain sorts of subjects. The first pair we selected ourselves were actually a couple, newlyweds in fact, unlike our previous pairs who were single before joining the project.”

“So we… were ‘selected’ for this?” her companion asked, his brow furrowed. 

“You were, yes.”

“We were a couple… before?” she asked. 

Dr. Bridger exchanged a look with Dr. Ambrose and she spoke up. “Yes, you were, though you were experiencing some relationship difficulties. That’s part of why we selected you.”

She felt like she was going to be sick. It was utterly strange to think they’d known each other previously, though that might explain why they’d seemed familiar to one another right away. Still, that first kiss they’d shared here wasn’t their _actual_ first kiss. Not to mention the other firsts.She didn’t know what to think about that. Then, the revelation that they were having trouble, perhaps even broken up, that made her heart pang unpleasantly. She rubbed at her chest absently as she asked, “What about our memories? Why can’t we remember anything?”

“I’m afraid tampering with your memories was required to have the appropriate environment for the study. The injection we used is a new, prototype technology and I assure you, your memories can be restored.”

“Have you tampered with everyone’s memories?” her friend wanted to know. 

“No, the first two pairs had intact memories but we found that to hinder the results. We got much more organic development with both subjects having altered memories.”

She ground her teeth. This made it sound like they thought of her, of him, of everyone else as lab rats and it was getting on her very last nerve. She wanted to yell and rage at them, but was afraid it might lead to more torture for her or him and they’d be thrown back into their room without more answers. 

“Who were we?” she asked, feeling sickness rise in her throat. 

“You were a couple, engaged and, from all accounts, happy. In fact, that is how we found you. Your wedding was interrupted by a woman who went by the name “Cupid”. But what we found particularly interesting was your subsequent announcement to the media that you had separated. As a pair, you fit the type of couple we needed for our study. We were looking for two people who had been in love but broke up because of outside circumstances. We wanted to see if you would come back together without your memories intact, rendering those outside circumstances inert.”

She was shaking all over. Engaged, wedding, broken up… It was so much to process. Too much. 

“What are our names?” her friend asked, his voice a growl. “Are you planning to restore our memories?”

Dr. Ambrose spoke up. “You are Oliver Queen. She is Felicity Smoak. And yes, we planned to restore your memories when we released you.”

“And when is that supposed to be?” she asked, her voice shaky. _Felicity Smoak_. The name felt simultaneously strange and familiar. She looked to her friend, to _Oliver_.He was looking at her, his expression mirroring every chaotic thing she was feeling right this moment. 

The doctors exchanged a look. “Well, provided you two remain cooperative, we’re fine with releasing you on a provisional basis this afternoon.”

If they’d told her that she possessed the ability to fly, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. “Today?” she squeaked. 

Dr. Bridger nodded. “Yes. Provisionally, of course. Because we’ve done a lot of work to encourage your relationship, your bond and ensure it’s lasting. We don’t want that work to be undone. If it were, we’d have to start all over again.”

A chill ran down her spine. 

“Start over?” Oliver asked, his brows drawn together. It was beyond strange for her, to think of assigning a name to him, after all this time and all that they’d shared together. It was going to take her some time to get used to it. 

“Yes. We’d recapture you, alter your memories again and start over again. It’s a bit dicey, I think. I’m not sure how many times your brains could stand up to memory alteration without lasting effects. But we’re committed to this. We just ask that you remain committed as well.”

There was a nervous pit in her stomach that was only growing the longer they sat in these chairs. There wasn’t a bit of this that she liked. “Committed to _what_?” she asked, frustration coloring her voice. 

“Why, to each other of course,” Dr. Bridger said. “It’s more important now than ever before that you remain together.”

While she certainly had no intention of leaving his side, it was hard to say what might happen when their memories were restored. They’d nearly gotten married, after all. If they broke up, chances are, there was a good reason. She swallowed nervously and looked to her friend, to _Oliver_. His expression was somber. 

“Where are we?” he asked, looking back to the doctors. 

“As we plan to release you, you understand why we can’t give you our exact location,” Dr. Bridger explained apologetically. 

She peered out the window, hoping to divine something about where they were, beyond just the trees, trees and more trees that she saw. But the setting was unremarkable, outside of the fact it was the first glimpse of outdoors she could recall ever seeing. 

“Why keep us all this time, do all this psychological and medical stuff to us, only to release us? What was the end-goal to all this?” she wanted to know. 

Dr. Bridger sat back in his chair, looking pleased. “I’m very glad you asked me this, Ms. Smoak. This is what I most wanted to discuss.”

“We’re excited to share our goal with you, and hope that you’ll be excited too,” Dr. Ambrose added. 

She felt nothing but dread. 

“After our first eight couples, our goal with each of our subsequent couples was to achieve conception. Though we have been working tirelessly with our subjects for the last twelve months, I’m pleased to tell you that you are the first couple to accomplish this.”

The room fell completely silent and her heart jerked painfully in her chest as what Dr. Bridger was saying filtered through her consciousness. Conception. That meant… Oh god. 

There was no mistaking the meaning. She could feel her whole perception narrowing to this singular moment and tears pricked at her eyes as she fought to blink them back. This was the absolute worst scenario for this and that this had been these bastards _plan…_?! 

Pregnant. She was _pregnant_. 

While she struggled to pull a breath, Oliver made a growling noise next to her. “Are you saying that she’s pregnant? And that was your plan? What the fuck for?”

“Language,” Dr. Ambrose warned. 

They both glared at her simultaneously. 

“Yes, Ms. Smoak is pregnant. We’ve been testing her regularly since you two began having relations and today’s test was positive. I followed the blood-work up with a physical exam and vaginal ultrasound and confirmed that she is in fact pregnant with a viable embryo implanted in her uterine wall.”

She felt like she was going to be sick. A hysterical corner of her mind was amused that she hadn’t had any morning sickness yet but now, here in this nicely appointed and friendly appearing office, she felt like she was going to toss her cookies. Or gruel, as that’s what they had to eat that morning. Oh god, remembering _that_ wasn’t helping at _all_. 

“You’re looking a bit pale, Ms. Smoak.Do you need a bin?” Dr. Ambrose asked. 

She looked up and saw Oliver looking at her, his blue eyes soft and concerned. Dr. Bridger looked dismissive and impatient and Dr. Ambrose was inquisitive. Her stomach roiled. She nodded, her jaw clamped shut and Dr. Ambrose moved quickly to bring a trash can from beside the desk.With her hands secured behind her, she couldn’t hold it so the woman had to hold it there for her. The tears pressed at the backs of her eyes again at the horrible injustice of it all. 

Her stomach cramped and she bent over the bin, emptying her stomach. Dr. Ambrose held her hair back while she got sick over and over again. Tears were running down her face by the time her stomach was empty and the woman set the bin aside and handed her some tissues to wipe her mouth with and some fresh ones for her eyes. Her cheeks burned as she dabbed at her eyes, keeping her eyes down so she wouldn’t have to see the calculating gaze of Dr. Bridger or whatever expression Oliver must have. 

“I believe that’s a sign of a healthy pregnancy,” Dr. Bridger said at last and she felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. 

“You’re monsters,” her friend, Oliver, said, his voice low. “How can you do this to people, take over their lives and… to involve innocent _children_ in it?”

A horrifying thought occurred to her. “Was all of this just to get us to produce a child? Is the plan to take our child from us?” Her stomach threatened to revolt again and she clasped a hand over it. 

“Absolutely not,” Dr. Bridger answered. “Let me assure you right now, that we have absolutely zero designs on your child.”

“I was about to explain that, at the core of our beliefs about this study, we believe that children help ensure a permanent bond between a couple. In our earlier couples in the study, when released, the feelings would wane without something to center on. Whatever issues they had before, whatever roadblocks life threw up… would overshadow the closeness fostered between them during the study. Only one of those couples is still together and even then, I don’t think we’re seeing the results from them that we’d prefer. We believe a child provides that center,” Dr. Ambrose told them. 

“You use children as a tool in your sick experiments?” Oliver spat out. 

“Settle down,” Dr. Bridger instructed. “It’s all entirely natural. We don’t force our subjects to have sex and conceive.”

“Then what have you been injecting me with?” she asked. 

“Our own special concoction. There’s a little sexual stimulant in there, but nothing with an effect greater than, say, oysters or chocolate and wine. There’s a some hormones as well, to encourage your body’s natural fertility. That was mostly to keep things regulated, on a schedule and predictable. But mostly the shots are vitamins, to help keep you healthy. We wouldn’t want you to have scurvy, surely that would interfere with pregnancy.” Dr. Ambrose smiled, clearly proud at what they’d done. She felt ill still, despite her stomach now being empty. 

“Why have you been torturing _him_?” There were so many inconsistencies to what these monsters were telling them, leaving her to believe that they were simply psychopaths with advanced degrees. But she still hoped against all hope for some sort of sense to come from all of this, that it hadn’t been for nothing. 

“It became clear that treating you as guests was encouraging a more moderate pace towards our ultimate goal in this study. And while we were fine with taking our time with you two, there were… outside circumstances that required we speed up the process,” Dr. Bridger explained. 

“After a long discussion, we agreed that perhaps putting stress on you both would cause you to turn towards one another. And it did work.” Dr. Ambrose looked particularly proud of herself. She wanted nothing more than to yank on the woman’s salt and pepper hair.

“So you tortured him for _nothing_?”

“It wasn’t nothing, dear. It worked, quite effectively too. You two practically ran into one another’s arms. Keeping you both on alert and in fear was quite effective at encouraging eventual conception. We’ve decided to try it more with our other subjects.”

If she had anything to say about it, there wouldn’t be any more needless torture, memory altering, kidnapping or hormonal manipulation going on. Here, zip tied to this chair, she didn’t know how she would stop these people but she knew in her heart that she wouldn’t rest until she saw them behind bars. 

“I don’t understand,” Oliver said. He shifted on his seat, trying to lean forward towards Dr. Bridger. “You’ve spent all this time and effort capturing us, holding us, running tests and experiments on us, simply to get us pregnant and let us go?”

Dr. Bridger leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. He made a steeple with this clasped hands and looked intently at them both. “This is our study, Mr. Queen. We believe very strongly in our work. And the study doesn’t finish when we return you to your lives and restore your memories. We will be watching you, I promise. That is part of the study as well. So we’re not just ‘letting you go’; this study is ongoing.”

These people were certifiable. She was more sure than ever. No one with their head on straight would commit to such a crazy “study”. 

“What guarantee do you have that I won’t lose the baby through miscarriage? What if I decided to terminate the pregnancy?” she asked. 

Dr. Bridger’s expression turned hard. “We will not tolerate any termination, Ms. Smoak. As I said before, we will be watching you and if you are uncooperative, we will recapture you and begin the experiment again. I have every confidence we’ll gain the same results.”

“How many times have you already done this to us?” she whispered, almost dreading the answer. 

“This is the first for you. But other couples have had be reintroduced as much as three times. This isn’t something we shy from doing, I want you to understand that right now, before we go any further.”

“So you expect us to… stay together and to have this baby and… what? Just continue on with our lives?”

“Yes, exactly that,” Dr. Ambrose said. 

Something about that made her feel uneasy. The thought of being spied on, on having their lives controlled like this was terrible, of course. But the uneasy feeling was more than just that. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was. 

“We will be leaving you with a list of expectations that details our stipulations on your freedom, just so you have it on hand but we’ll explain to you now: we expect you to live together, we expect you give birth to this child and raise him or her together. We expect no separations longer than a week’s time, which should allow for the occasional business trip or family emergency. You will not contact the authorities regarding us. You will back up the cover story that we generated at your capture; that you decided to take an impromptu trip together to reconnect as a couple and would be unreachable during the duration. Where you choose to tell your friends and family you’ve been is up to you.”Dr. Bridger smiled again and she rather thought he looked like a rat with glasses. “Is this all understood?”

“Completely,” Oliver growled. 

In a flash, he was up out of his chair. She stared, shocked, as he dropped the zip tie onto the floor. With a yank, he pulled the chair, breaking the wooden legs off with a crunch, freeing his ankles. He threw the chair at Dr. Bridger who ducked just in time. The chair impacted on the floor just in front of the window and broke into pieces. 

“Mr. Queen!” Dr. Ambrose said, voice full of censure, as she rose to her feet. “You this is uncalled for!”

“Oh, I think it’s very called for,” he growled. He came around the desk and backhanded Dr. Bridger, sending the man to the floor. He opened a desk draw and found a pair of scissors. She watched as he came towards her and snipped the ties at her ankles and then the one around her wrists. Her extremities protested at the sudden rush of blood as she shook them out. 

“Please, just sit down and we will talk the rest of this out rationally—“ Dr. Bridger began, wiping at his mouth as he pushed to his feet. 

“I think we’re done talking rationally. You’re going to let us out of here _now_.” He helped her to her feet, rubbing at her back gently. 

Dr. Bridger’s lips thinned into a line. He glanced at Dr. Ambrose. “Laura?”

“Yes, of course,” she replied, scuttling for the door of the room and fleeing into the hallway beyond. 

Oliver pulled her behind him. “You’re not stopping us. We’re getting out of here. I’m not going to let you sick fucks do this to us for another minute.”

“Please, if you’ll just calm down you’ll see that we intend—“

“Enough!” Oliver roared and even she had to quake at the authority in his voice. 

“Mr. Queen!” 

She grabbed Oliver’s arm, her fingernails digging in. 

The door banged open and four burly guards filled the room, their eyes trained on Oliver. 

“Stay away from us,” he warned, backing up and pushing her even further behind him. “You touch her, I swear to god, I’ll—“

“You’ll what, Mr. Queen?” Dr Bridger asked, having regained his composure. 

As quickly as it started, it was over. Oliver was pinned to the floor with three guards on top of him while he struggled and yelled. The other guard had her in an iron grasp. Dr. Bridger approached her and she noticed he had a syringe in his hand. It made her struggle against the guard’s hold on her. No more syringes. No…

She must have said it aloud because Dr. Bridger simply tutted and behind him, on the floor, Oliver roared in utter rage. Then, the needle was plunged into her arm and she cried out. Not at the pain, that was negligible, but at the injustice. 

Her vision fogged as she watched Dr. Bridger bend over Oliver’s prone form and inject him as well.Then, everything went black. 

***

Felicity woke up in stages. It reminded her a lot of college, the nights she’d go out with friends, get drunk and stumble back to her dorm-room. She’d wake up in the morning not knowing for a long moment where she was, when it was… even _who_ she was. Realization would creep in in stages, layer upon layer until she realized, yow, that was indeed a nasty hangover. 

It was sort of like that. But…not. 

Because this time, she wasn’t coming off a night of partying. She wasn’t in college. This wasn’t a hangover making her head pound. Well. Not a hangover in the traditional sense. 

No… she _remembered_ this headache. She just… couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The memories were swirling around like ingredients in a cauldron. Her head was pounding too much for her to want to strain it any further. 

_Coffee_.Coffee would help. And aspirin. And maybe about five more hours of sleep. 

Groaning, Felicity rolled over, keeping her eyes screwed shut against the throbbing in her head. She was on a bed with a truly terrible, scratchy nylon bedspread. It felt cheap and possibly filthy. The odor of stale cigarettes hung in the air and she could hear the combination of a buzzing air conditioning unit and tinny sound of a television infomercial filling the room. 

She lay there a moment longer, trying to grasp onto a memory of how she got to where she was. What was the last thing she remembered? Images filtered through her mind… the sofa in her apartment with the blanket draped over the back, the heels she liked to wear to work, her desk at work, a computer screen running a tracking program… green leather. She blinked her eyes open, staring up at a stained ceiling. 

Leather. Green. An image of a tall figure wielding a bow and shooting an arrow solidified in her mind. The Hood. The Vigilante. The Arrow. The _Green_ Arrow. She knew him. She knew him almost as well as she knew herself, in fact. Oliver… Oliver Queen. 

She pushed herself up to sitting and confirmed that she was, in fact, in a cheap motel room. She knew it. All cheap motel rooms smelled the same. She was wearing plain white pants and shirt, almost like scrubs. They were loose fitting, thin fabric, unremarkable. There were two beds, complete with gaudy patterned bedspread. On the other one lay Oliver. He appeared to still be asleep. 

Her head protested violently as she pushed off the bed, towards Oliver. Felicity sat on the bed next to him and just looked at him for a long moment. He wore the same kind of clothes she did but she also noticed a bruised jaw, a scraped cheek… he’d been beaten. Something about _that_ was familiar too.She wished she could remember how they got here. Her memories were still a sloppy mush. One minute she remembered plunging a syringe into Slade Wilson’s neck, the next she remembered graduating from MIT. And then she’d have a flash of a tropical island, palm trees, clear blue ocean waters, white sand beaches… What was _that_?

Focusing on the here and now, she laid a hand on Oliver’s arm. The familiar, warmth and firmness of his body under her fingers steadied her a bit. “Oliver?” she asked, quietly. 

He stirred and then moaned. He winced without opening his eyes and she knew he had the same headache as she did.Had they gone out and gotten drunk last night? She could recall going to get margaritas with him and Dig after they took down the Dodger together, so maybe it was something like that. 

“C’mon, wake up,” she urged softly. 

“Hmm?” he said, little more than a moan. “F’licity?”

In an instant, before Oliver even opened his eyes, she knows she’s kissed him. The memories of his lips on hers crash over her and she gasps. His eyes flash open then, his blue eyes zeroing on hers. She remembers him kissing her at the hospital, remembers their night in Nanda Parbat…oh god. 

“Hey,” she said, her voice rough. She cleared her throat and looked to the night table between the beds. There were two glasses of water waiting there, as though she’d summoned them forth with her mind. She picked one up and sniffed at it, a little suspiciously. Other than the faint smell of chlorine that always seemed to be present in tap water, there was nothing remarkable about it. And her throat was bone dry. She took a sip. No strange aftertaste either. 

“Wha— Where are we?” he asked groggily, struggling to sit up. She tried to help as much as she could, bracing a hand behind his back as he sat up against the headboard. 

“No idea,” she informed him a little ruefully. “Do you have a headache? Because I sure do.There’s some water here…”

“Oh god, yes.”

Felicity handed him the second glass and watched as he drank greedily. The tightness around his eyes gave away his own headache. Hopefully, the water would help… 

She waited until he set the glass down before asked the question that was burning to be asked. “What do you remember?”

He blew out a breath and narrowed his eyes. “Not much. Fuck… this feels like coming off a bender.”

“I had the same thought.”

“You don’t remember anything either.”

“Just bits and pieces, it’s coming back. But so far no clue where we are or how we got here.”

His lips flattened into a line as he looked around the room. “Motel room?”

She nodded. “‘Fraid so.” 

“Have you looked around for any signs yet?” 

“Nope, just woke up. Just like you.”

Felicity got to her feet, a little unsteady. The shag carpet felt less than fabulous underneath her bare feat. She tried to put it out of her mind as she explored the small room. She turned off the TV, as the noise was starting to irritate her.She checked out the low dresser next to the television and found a pad of paper laying on top of it that said “Shady Pines Motel, Pinewood, WA” on it.She showed it to Oliver. 

“This isn’t far from Starling… wait… Star City?” His brow furrowed as he studied the pad of paper. He ran his thumb over the surface while she pondered what he’d just said. _Star City_ … didn’t the city get renamed that recently? Or had she dreamed it? 

“There’s something here,” Oliver said, drawing her attention back to him. He was holding up the pad of paper and looking at it from a strange angle. 

“What is it?”

“Something was written on the sheet on top of this and then torn off. I can see the impressions left by the pen and I can make out both our names. Look around and see if you see a note lying anywhere.”

He checked half the room while she looked over the other half. There was a small bathroom, with no personal items. In fact, there was no luggage in the closet. There was nothing here that was _theirs_ , as far as she could tell. 

“Found it!” Oliver called. Felicity hurried over to his side. He brandished a folded piece of paper. “It was pushed through the door, just the corner sticking out.”

“Let’s see what it says.”

He unfolded it and held it up for them both to see. 

 

**Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak:**

**No doubt you are waking up a little confused. Your full memories will return shortly, just give it time. In the meantime, I wanted to remind you of the agreement we made back at the compound.**

**You two are to remain together. That is the #1 goal. You are to live together. There will be no terminating the pregnancy. Do not contact the authorities. We will be watching. If you fail to do as we agreed, we will be forced to restart the process. Please take us seriously on this.**

**Sincerely, Drs. Bridger and Ambrose**

 

Felicity’s stomach rolled. She moved over to the bed she’d woken up on and sat down heavily. “Oh god,” she moaned, holding her head in her hands. 

She remembered. Maybe not everything, not just yet. But she remembered “the compound”. She remembered Bridger and Ambrose. She remembered the room she and Oliver had been kept in, the conditions, the torture, the testing… she remembered them making love. Quite a few times, in fact. Small wonder she was pregnant now. 

The only thing was… she also remembered giving Oliver the engagement ring back after their “fake” wedding.

“Oh, frack,” she whispered.

**E N DO FP A R TO N E**

_(part two will begin being posted next Monday!)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this marks the end of Part One of this story. Never fear, Part Two begins with the next chapter which I will be posting (barring unforeseen circumstances) next Monday. The reason I have split this story into two parts is because Part Two has a vastly different tone and conflict from Part One. You'll see what I mean.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath... what will Oliver and Felicity do now that they're out of the compound?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG KISSES to everyone who is reading, who commented on the last chapter, who shares their enthusiasm with me. It means the world! There's a big change in part 2... I change the POV character! Let me know what you think!

**P A R TT W O**

Oliver still held the sheet of notepaper, but no longer saw the words. He remembered being taken to a dark room and beaten by the guards. They’d never asked him any questions, just the beatings. He remembered Felicity, holding him and cleaning off any new cuts he would return to the room with. He remembered not knowing who they were or where they were or… anything really. He also remembered the doctors bringing them to a modest but cozy office to answer their questions. 

He remembered them saying that Felicity was pregnant. 

It was the most amazing sensation. There was anger at how they’d been used and manipulated and control over their lives had been taken from them. They’d both been violated, repeatedly, by these monsters. The doctors seemed to believe they were gods, playing with them and their relationship and involving an innocent life now, just for their own ridiculous “research”.But even while he _knew_ all of that, there was a part of him, a very primal, basic part of him, that was pleased that Felicity was pregnant. 

She was pregnant with his child. That child had been conceived out of love, because that was all they had in that terrible place; each other and their love. He might have hesitated to admit to that love, with his memories gone and everything so uncertain, but there was no denying what he’d felt for her in there. And having a family with Felicity, well, that’d been a goal of his since before he’d had any reason to believe it was something he’d ever get to have. When they broke up, he thought that dream was over. Now, impossibly, the dream was back.

His hand began to shake to he set the paper aside and shook it out. That’s when he saw Felicity, sitting on one of the beds, looking dumbfounded. His heart lurched when he saw her, small and scared and perfect. He thought of how she was his rock during that whole ordeal. He didn’t even know who she was, had no clue of the real significance she held in his heart and in his life, but he’d been drawn to her all the same. 

Oliver supposed it wasn’t all that different from how he’d been drawn to her initially, from that first moment when he stepped into her cubicle to ask for IT help. He couldn’t stop coming back to her after that. She lodged herself in his awareness and he hadn’t even tried to swerve. Not once. No, he’d embraced bringing her further into his life with open arms. And now?

He’d already hurt her with the lie about his son. He’d broken the heart of the one woman whose heart he never wanted to ever damage. When she’d given him back the ring the second time, after that decoy wedding, he’d believed her when she told him it was over between them. She’d left the team, even, something he’d never in a million years thought she would do. 

Maybe that’d just been him being naive. 

Still, his involvement with her had lead to her being abducted, along with him, by those psychos. She’d been subjected to some of the most loathsome treatment. He had as well but he’d been through it before. He’d been through worse. She should _never_ have had to experience torture. Humiliation. Captivity. She’d had her memories taken from her, had been held prisoner and now she was pregnant. With his child. Him, whom she had left, had refused a future with… now she was shackled to him. 

Oliver didn’t quite know how to feel about it. He supposed he felt guilt, of course. Responsibility, too. But he didn’t feel regret. Of that, he was certain. He couldn’t regret the comfort he’d found with her in that compound. And he certainly couldn’t regret his child in her belly. He knew he should, but he simply could _not_. 

It very well might make him an even bigger asshole than he was before. 

“Felicity,” he began, but he trailed off because he didn’t know what to say next. So he sat next to her and put a hand on her back. He half expected her to snap at him to back off.He wouldn’t blame her if she did. 

“I’m pregnant,” she said, sounding so lost and unsettled.She turned watery eyes on him. “What are we going to do?” 

He clenched his other hand into a tight fist, feeling his nails bite into his palm. These assholes were going to _pay_.Reviewing what he remembered from their discussion before they were both sedated, he didn’t believe these monsters knew he was the Green Arrow. Otherwise, they surely would have mentioned it. No, they were simply warned not to contact the authorities, the police. They had no idea that he _was_ an authority. 

But for now, he had to focus on Felicity and on getting them home. He rubbed her back soothingly. “We’ll figure it out, I promise. You’re not alone in this.”

She smiled gratefully. “I guess the first step is getting out of here?”

Oliver nodded. “Now that we know where we are, we can call Dig.”

Felicity brightened at that. There was a lot they needed to talk about but right now, getting out of this dingy motel and to someplace safe and familiar was a priority. There was a phone, an old style rotary one, and they had to call the front desk to get an outside line. Felicity was back up and pacing in front of him as he called Dig’s cell and waited while the other end rang. 

After a longer than usual wait, the other line picked up. “Hello?” John said cautiously. Oliver realized the caller ID wouldn’t be recognizable. 

“Dig, it’s Oliver.”

“Oliver? Why are you calling me from… the Shady Pines Motel?I thought you and Felicity were in Bali.”

“What??” Oliver said. Felicity stopped and looked at him sharply. “Why would we be in _Bali_? Haven’t you been looking for us??”

“You left a message, don’t you remember? Well, Felicity left one for me. You left one for Thea. Three and a half months ago. Saying you and Felicity were leaving town to work on your relationship. We were all pretty broken up after Laurel, so I just thought it was because of that…”

Oliver nearly dropped the phone. How had he forgotten about Laurel?Now that he thought back, going to her funeral was one of the last things he remembered. He’d delivered the eulogy, got into the limo with Felicity and then… 

_That’s_ when they were taken! 

“Dig,” he cut in. “We haven’t been in Bali. It’s a long story but I need you to get to Pinewood and find the Shady Pines Motel and pick us up. As soon as you can.”

“Not the van!” Felicity said suddenly.Then, she lowered her voice and spoke into his free ear.“They’re watching, remember?”

_Shit_. She was right. It was clear the doctors didn’t know about their ties to Team Arrow and it’d be good to try to keep it that way. “Bring the town car,” he told Dig. 

“Are you two okay? What happened, Oliver?” Dig sounded upset and Oliver could understand. He’d probably be feeling the same if the shoe was on the other foot. But right now wasn’t the time. 

“Please, just come get us. We’ll explain later. It’s a two hour drive here from Star City.” 

When Oliver hung up, Felicity stopped pacing and stopped in front of him. She was chewing the side of her nail, a nervous gesture he recognized easily. He sighed. 

“We need to talk,” he told her. 

“I know we do,” she said quietly. “But I’m also pretty hungry.”

As though on cue, his stomach rumbled. It’d been a long, long time since they’d last eaten.“Yeah, me too.” 

Felicity smiled at him, looking more than a little relieved and it made him smile too. It gave him hope, actually, that maybe they could navigate their way through this mess somehow. 

***

As luck would have it, there was a greasy spoon type diner out in the lot of the motel. The menu was typical fare, but Oliver swore the burger and fries he had were the best he’d ever eaten in his life. Yes, even more than Big Belly Burger. It’d been so long since he’d enjoyed _real_ food like this. It’d also been a long time since he’d enjoyed a meal while being _free_. 

The sun had sunk below the horizon by the time they walked back to the room. They hadn’t really spoken while they ate. The diner had been moderately busy and neither of them wanted to chance someone listening on their conversation. 

It would have been tense, sitting there across from one another in a diner booth, not speaking. But they were both so hungry and focused on their meals that neither of them stopped chewing long enough to carry on any real sort of conversation anyhow. 

Now, as they walked back to the motel room, about 75 minutes before they could soonest expect Diggle, Oliver’s mind was turning towards what they might talk about back in the room. His fingers itched to grab hold of hers, to have that connection to her. It was an unconscious, steady desire to not just be near her, but to be touching her. While that wasn’t entirely odd for either of them since, well, since shortly after she joined the team really… It wasn’t quite the same. That was just a natural ease with each other. This felt a bit more like… compulsion. 

It was probably just an after effect of their stressful time together in the compound, he mused as he let them both into the motel room. He held the door as Felicity walked in ahead of him. They were both still wearing the cotton scrubs, since they had nothing else with them. They’d each taken turns in the shower to quickly clean up before going to dinner, but nothing could be done about the clothes.Luckily, they hadn’t gotten many strange looks, especially after they’d sat down.

Oliver latched the motel room door and made sure the curtains were shut. Felicity was already nosing around the room, looking in the lamps and under the phone. She found several electronic bugs which she showed to him. He crushed them with the heel of his shoe and threw them in the garbage can. 

“Any video feed?” he asked. 

She shook her head. I think this is just an average motel room. They placed a few bugs but I doubt they had any time or set up plans to add any major surveillance equipment.”

He blew out a breath. “That’s good.”

“So…” she began, playing with her fingers. “I guess it’s time we had that talk.”

He nodded. 

They each sat on one of the beds, the one she’d woken up on. “The doctors told us we need to live together,” he began, feeling more nervous than he had in a long while. 

“Where have you been staying?” she asked him. 

Oliver shrugged. “The bunkhouse in the lair.”

A look passed over Felicity’s face, almost like pity but soft. “Oh, Oliver.”

“You know me. I don’t need much,” he told her. “You’re still at the loft, right?”

She nodded. “I’m surprised you haven’t checked up on me there since… well.Since that nonsense with Cupid.”

“You wanted me to let you go. I was just trying to do as you asked,” he explained. What he didn’t tell her was how hard it was not to go by the loft while out on patrol, to check up on her, to make sure she was safe. He couldn’t tell her how many times he’d written out a text to send her, only to erase it, and how many times he’d dialed her number before shutting down his phone. Letting Felicity go was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. 

She reached out for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you. I really appreciate you giving me the space I needed.”

He wanted to tell her it was nothing, but the lie stuck in his throat. So he just nodded instead. 

“Well, I suppose you’ll have to come back to the loft then, that makes more sense,” she decided. 

His heart squeezed at the thought of being back in the loft with her. “I can stay in the guest room,” he offered. 

She blinked, almost as if she wasn’t sure what he was talking about but then her expression cleared. “Oh!Yeah, we can— Yeah. I’ll just have to move some of my computer equipment out of there first, I was using it for some extra storage space while I moved some things around, but it won’t be a big deal…”

Felicity was clearly flustered which… told him a lot about what she thought of him coming back to the loft. Truly, there wasn’t much they could do about it for the time being. But she’d almost seemed surprised that he’d mentioned staying in the guest room. That was strange, right? 

He probably should get as much hope from that as he was. 

“And the pregnancy?” he asked. 

“I really don’t know what to do. I mean, they said we can’t terminate… I know we’ll probably work with the team to take these assholes out but… There’s no telling how long that will take, you know? I just think we should face the fact that this might be a problem we can’t just get rid of.”

His heart squeezed again, but for a different reason. Did she really want to just get rid of this baby? “Felicity,” he began, not sure what to say. 

“And I’m sorry, Oliver. Clearly, this wasn’t really within our control and we were both used by those terrible people. This isn’t what you want, I know that, but I just think we should be prepared for this to be something we won’t be able to fix…”

Oliver blinked at her. Wait, was she…? She was _nervous_ about _his_ reaction. He could see it in the way she was biting at her lip, her eyes wide. She was watching, looking for a sign of what he thought. He knew he had to be very careful here. If he came at her with the full force of how much he suddenly _wanted_ this baby, he could scare her off. 

“Felicity. We’ll handle this. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. This involves both of us. Together. Okay?” he reassured her. 

She settled a little, her shoulders dropping. “Okay. I just… I don’t know what we’re going to tell people?”

“Well, Dig and Thea will have to know about what happened. We’ll need their help taking these sons of bitches down.”

Felicity nodded her agreement. 

“Apparently, according to Dig, you left him a message that we were gong to Bali to work on our relationship. I left one for Thea.”

“Wait… I don’t remember that.” Felicity screwed up her face. “Do you think these people have access to the kind of tech that can duplicate a person’s voice? We used that to help Laurel pretend to be Sara to her father last year… not one of my prouder moments, but—“

Oliver nodded. “I think that’s exactly what they did.”

“Safe bet I left a message for my mother as well. I have _no_ idea what I’ll tell her.”

“Well, maybe we need to keep to the Bali cover story with her. That’d be simpler than explaining the whole story, don’t you think?” 

Felicity chewed on her lip for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, we can do that. It’d explain the pregnancy to her, at least. If she knew it’d taken place under the kind of duress we were under…”

“She’d be devastated.”

“She would.” Oliver didn’t want to mention that Donna would also be upset if the two of them had spent three and a half months in Bali, gotten pregnant, and still weren’t back together. Not yet, at least.One thing at a time. 

“So Dig and Thea think we’ve been in Bali this whole time? Why didn’t they try to contact us?”

“Maybe they didn’t think there was email in Bali,” he offered. 

She remembered what he was referencing and the smile that spread across her face was genuine. “Well, they wouldn’t be the only ones.”

It was a nice moment, but it didn’t last. The smile faded and she looked down, picking at the hem of her tunic. It reminded them of how incredibly messed up situation this was for both of them, but for her especially. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked her. 

“Fine. I mean, I haven’t even had any sickness.Not yet, at least. I’m a little tired but that could just be because this has been the day from hell.”

“Maybe you should try to get some rest in the car on the ride back to Star City,” he suggested. 

Felicity lifted an eyebrow. 

“Hey, I just say that because I know when we get back home, you’re going to want to get to the lair right away and run some searches.Am I wrong?”

She huffed. “Okay, you’re right. And I think drinking an entire pot of coffee is out of the question. Right? No coffee when pregnant? God, I’m going to need to get one of those books that tell you what to do when you’re pregnant because I have _no_ idea.”

Oliver couldn’t fight a grin because that babble was just so… _her_. He wanted so badly to pull her to him, hug her, hold her in his arms. Kiss her. But he held back. He knew that sort of thing wouldn’t be welcomed right now. That sort of thing might _never_ be welcomed again. 

“We’ll make sure you get a book.”

***

Dig arrived almost two hours exactly after Oliver had hung up with him. Seeing him in this depressing motel room made everything feel more real than it had since they’d woken up with their memories intact. Oliver watched as Felicity practically launched herself at their friend. Dig caught her easily, hugging her close to him and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

He looked over to Oliver and nodded his head. “You gonna tell me what’s going on now?”

“In the car,” Oliver said. “I’ll be happier the further we get from this place.”

“I agree with that,” Felicity added. 

Dig paused and looked between them. Oliver knew he was noticing the distance between them, the not-quite-chilly but not-quite-warm tension that existed between them before they were abducted. 

The three of them left the motel room behind and piled into the town car. Oliver sat in the back with Felicity, as much to be near her as to keep up the appearance that Dig was their driver. It was dark outside now, but Felicity still stared out the window at the trees that zipped past the window as they headed down the highway towards Star City. She didn’t look interested in starting this conversation so Oliver figured it was on him to fill Dig in. 

“First things first, we were not in Bali, working on our relationship,” Oliver said. 

Dig gave a humorless snort. “I could tell that much when I first laid eyes on you. Neither of you look like you saw any sun for months. And, dude, what are you _wearing_?”

“We were abducted.” 

Dig’s eyes bulged a little and he met Oliver’s glance in the rear view mirror. “By who? Darhk? Merlyn?”

Oliver shook his head. “Neither. I’m pretty sure the names they gave us were fake, but these nutjobs actually took us because we’re Oliver and Felicity, not because we’re the Green Arrow and Overwatch.”

“Seriously?”

“I’m not 100% positive, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t know our other identities. They took us because they wanted to subject us to their experiment.”

It took a good half hour, and Felicity had fallen asleep before he finished, but Oliver quickly relayed all the details to Dig that he could think of. He too was pretty exhausted and more than a little unnerved by the whole experience. When he finished, he looked over at Felicity, who was curled up with her head resting on the door, looking small and vulnerable. His heart tugged. 

“So, Felicity is pregnant right now,” Dig said, his voice low. He’d noticed Felicity was asleep as well. 

“Yep. And I really have no idea what she thinks about that, how she feels. I think we’re both in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting to see how things turn out.”

“Understandable. Because we _are_ going after these assholes, right?” Dig asked. 

“Swiftly and severely. Back when we were in there, and didn’t even know who the hell we were, I promised Felicity that I would make these people pay. I didn’t know I was the Green Arrow, but I felt all this… restrained force. I couldn’t do anything in there, because they used us against each other. If I’d done more than put up some token resistance, they could have made things even worse than it already was for her. I wasn’t going to risk that. We had no power in there, but out here? The scales have shifted,” Oliver explained. 

Dig nodded. “I’m with you all the way, man. Whatever you need.”

“Thanks, John. I appreciate it.” Oliver glanced at Felicity, saw she was still sleeping. He turned his attention back to Dig. “So what’s been happening in town? With the team? Darhk?”

Dig filled him in. When no one could get ahold of Oliver and Felicity, and things with Darhk escalated, they had to call in every favor that they could. He told him about how Darhk’s plan had been to destroy the world with nukes, and how they needed to recruit Felicity’s wayward father, Noah Kuttler, to help them manage the problem. The crew from Central City had also dropped in to help, when things got really bad. On the magic side of things, Constantine had come to help and it had been his own sister, Thea, who had rallied the city to fight back against Darhk’s, well, _dark_ magic. Oliver felt a swelling of pride for her. 

“It was tough. Malcolm really got in her head, you know. And she was questioning what she was doing on the team, and if she was more Merlyn or Queen. But at the end of the day, someone had to step up and protect the city. After everything with Andy…” Dig trailed off for a moment and blew out a breath. “I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it.She did great, man.”

“How is she now?” 

“She’s fine. Shaken up, understandably. She’s been taking it easy the last few weeks. We both have. After everything died down and all the extra hands left town, we both needed some downtime. Just been waiting for you two to come back.”

Oliver felt a pang of guilt that he hadn’t been there to protect his city when it had needed him the most. Just one more reason to make those doctors pay. It was just a lucky thing for Star City that it had so many supporters and that he had so many friends that were willing and able to help out when needed the most. 

Dig cleared his throat and caught his eye in the rearview mirror again. “I know what you’re doing, Oliver. Don’t.”

“What?”

“You’re feeling guilty for not being here. You have no reason to. We handled it.”

“Yeah, but—“

“No ‘buts’.Now, if you’d just been chilling on a beach in Bali, I might have had something to say.”

Oliver huffed at that. Leave it to John Diggle to say just the right thing. “Thanks, buddy.”

“Don’t mention it. Now let’s get back to Star City so we can find these assholes and put them down.”

***

Felicity woke up when Dig pulled up outside the old campaign headquarters. She rubbed her eyes and looked a little disoriented but Oliver was glad to see the shadows under her eyes had lessened at least a little. 

“We’re here?” she said, her voice husky with sleep. 

Oliver nodded and held out a hand to help her out of the backseat.She took it but released his hold as soon as she was on the curb and steady on her feet. She looked to Dig right away. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t insist on taking us home right away,” she remarked.

“Oh, I tried,” Dig said. “But this one here told me you’d use your Loud Voice if I didn’t bring you here right away.”

Oliver shrugged slightly. “I made a promise. But I also made a compromise. We’ll be here long enough for you to set up some searches but then Dig is taking us to the loft. We have to keep up that appearance,” he reminded her. 

Felicity nodded and made a face as they let themselves into the empty campaign office. Oliver tried to not read too much into her sour expression. 

As they rode in the elevator down to the bunker, she flippantly remarked, “At least we keep changes of clothes here. Hey, do you think we can burn these scrubs?” 

“You don’t think there’s any evidence on them?” Dig asked. 

“Ugh. Maybe,” she grumbled. 

When the elevator doors opened, Oliver reached out and touched her arm. She looked back at him, a little startled. He handed her the small plastic bag he’d been carrying since they left the car. She accepted it, a little hesitantly. 

“What’s this?” she asked. 

“I had Dig stop when we got to town,” he said, indicating the discount mass retailer’s logo emblazoned on the bag. “I got you a book.”He winked and then stepped around her and into the bunker. 

He headed right for the living quarters, the place he’d called home in the weeks before the abduction. He looked back towards the dais and Felicity’s computers and noticed her pull the book from the bag. A genuine smile crossed her lips and he ducked his head. That’s all he wanted. To make her feel a little more happy and a little more steady right now was his goal. He wanted her to know that he was here for her. 

He took his time, changing his clothes and packing a small bag to bring to the loft. He didn’t need much, but when he’d moved out, he’d packed up all his clothes and necessities so he would need at least those things. 

Oliver found Dig cleaning his guns. It was an easy, menial task that he could do while still keeping an eye on Felicity, where she sat at her computer. She’d changed into a pair of workout clothes that she kept in the bunker and pulled her hair into the familiar ponytail he was used to. 

“Has she finished?” Oliver asked as he approached Diggle. 

Dig shook his head. “Hasn’t budged an inch. It’s been about an hour, we should probably get moving, just to be safe.”

Oliver nodded and headed up to where Felicity sat, her fingers flying over her keyboards.“Are you nearly done? We should get going soon,” he reminded her. 

“Yes, nearly there. At least for tonight,” she muttered in that tone that always told him she was distracted. 

He watched her for a moment, in her element for the first time in months. The time away hadn’t slowed her down any. He imagined she’d missed her computers and wondered if she’d felt that loss while they were captive without their memories. He hadn’t thought about it before just now, but he had missed his bow and arrows. 

Mostly, he was anxious to get back in the suit and go after these assholes. 

“Do you even know where to look?” he asked her. 

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Not really. As we suspected, Bridger and Ambrose aren’t their real names but I’m running some searches to see if there’s any significance to those names. Meanwhile, I’m running another search on universities, to see what research grants had been terminated in the last fifteen years or so, just to cover all the bases. I expect the sample size it returns to be enormous; it’s going to require ungodly amounts of time to comb through everything. But it’s a place to start.”

Oliver nodded. “I want to get these guys just as badly as you do.”

“I doubt that,” she said under her breath but he heard her. They _really_ needed to talk some more but he knew now wasn’t the time for it. 

After a few minutes, she powered down the computers to work in the background. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Dig was standing by the elevator by the time they both walked off the dais, and Oliver realized that he was probably anxious to get home to Sara and Lyla. “Thanks for doing this, Dig,” he said as they rode the elevator up. 

“Hey, man, I’m just glad to have you both back. Lyla understands.”

“How is your family doing?” Felicity asked. 

“Fine. Better now, that all this Darhk nonsense is behind us. Andy is in prison again, probably will spend the rest of his life there. But my family is safe and that’s the important part.”

The ride over to the loft was quick and mostly quiet. Everyone was tired and Oliver could feel exhaustion pulling at him. They bid goodbye to Dig at the curb before entering the building and riding the elevator up. They were both quiet, but it wasn’t awkward. It was just _tired_. 

Felicity let them into the loft, using the keys she’d kept at the bunker. Oliver wondered, briefly, if their credit cards, keys, IDs, everything… would have to be replaced since, technically, those monsters had possession of them. He _really_ didn’t want to think about that right now. 

The loft looked much as it had before, the day he’d moved out. It was a bit emptier, however. Less warm. Felicity turned on the lights, the fireplace, but still a chill remained. He headed for the stairs and Felicity meet him at the bottom of them. She was twisting her hands together, a sure sign of her nerves. He hated that she felt nervous around him now. 

“Let me clear the guest room first,” she said. 

“I can do that, Felicity.”

“But—“

“Please. Let me.”

She bowed her head but didn’t move away just yet. “Oliver… I wanted to thank you.For the book.”

“It was nothing,” he assured her. “I might want to read it too.”

His attempt at teasing didn’t make her smile, however. “I know we still have things to talk about, and I promise I’m not avoiding them. I just… want to deal with finding these creeps first. Can we do that?”

He nodded. “We can do that.”

“Good. Thank you,” she said, stepping aside. 

As Oliver moved up the stairs, his duffle bag in hand, he couldn’t help but think he’d agreed to letting her slip through her fingers. Because he didn’t feel as though the issues between them, the issues that had been waiting for them since before the kidnapping, would fix with time. As he stepped into the guest room and surveyed the clutter Felicity had gathered there, he thought maybe things would get worse rather than better. 

They’d deal with these “doctors”, he would get his vengeance, but if Felicity thought he was going to let her go afterwards, then she had another thing coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this fic does abide by the show-canon that Oliver moved out while Felicity stayed in the loft. I've sort of thought this was what happened anyhow, and wasn't surprised when the show clarified on that matter, but noticed a lot of people were upset/confused/etc by it. So in case you're scratching your head here, just go with me on this. LOL! 
> 
> And it wasn't the plan to do part 2 in Oliver's POV but when it came time to start writing this chapter, I realized that would really help distinguish the two parts of the story, and be fun to boot!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Star City, how do Oliver and Felicity deal with the aftermath of their time in captivity and how do they deal with each other?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so grateful for everyone's comments and support of the story, especially after the last chapter! I'm not 100% sure I'm going to get a chapter done by next Monday this week... with the finale and all, plus some things in my personal life that are rearing their head, I expect to be quite distracted. I will try though, because the next chapter has some MAJOR ACTION!

Oliver’s eyes flew open and his heart was pounding. The guest room was dark with the curtains pulled over the windows.  It was still the middle of the night and he couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour or two. Something had woken him up.

He’d just closed his eyes, determined to fall back asleep, when he heard a noise. It was a muffled, but sounded like moaning. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and in a flash he realized it was Felicity he was hearing. He sat bolt upright in bed and threw off the covers. 

He wore just a pair of boxer shorts and stopped only to throw on a t-shirt before hurrying across the hallway to the room he’d once shared with Felicity. He paused for a small moment with his hand hovering over the doorknob. She would probably be furious with him for barging into her room in the middle of the night. 

But then he heard her again, a whimper this time. It was distressed and he realized she was having a nightmare. Without another thought, he opened the door and pushed inside. She lay on the bed, on _her_ side, sprawled half out of the covers and her head thrashing on the pillow. Moonlight from the partially covered windows spilled across her, making her look other-worldly. He could see a sheen of sweat on her forehead. 

Oliver hurried to her side and dropped onto the bed next to her, taking her hand. “Felicity? Wake up, baby.”

She moaned, her head thrashing again, her blonde hair spilling across the pillow. 

“You’re having a nightmare. Wake up, Felicity.” He released her hand to shake her shoulder. 

She woke with a gasp, her eyes flashing open. Oliver returned his hand to hers, holding it tight. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. It was just a dream.”

“Oliver?” she said, her breath panting. 

He helped her sit up. “It was just a nightmare,” he repeated. “I heard you from the guest room so I came in here to make sure you were okay. I hope that’s all right…”

Felicity caught her breath as she watched him. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking and it made him feel uneasy. He was still holding her hand… should he let go? 

After a long pause, she finally spoke. “I’m glad. I mean… thank you, for being here.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She started to chew on her lip and averted her gaze, two pretty big tells that he was familiar with. Oliver knew she was thinking of all the times he’d woken from a nightmare when they were together, and how she’d coaxed him to talk about it afterward. Talking had always made it feel better, too. 

“It was about the compound,” she finally said. 

“What part of it?” he gently prodded. 

“The fear. Being taken for exams, being strapped to that table… they used fear on us like a weapon and I guess it made an impression.” She shrugged helplessly. 

“Hey,” he said softly. She looked up and met his eyes. “What happened to you was terrible.”

“What happened to _both_ of us, you mean.”

“Yeah. If it didn’t upset you, I’d probably wonder.”

Felicity grimaced. “I just feel… weak.”

“You’re _not_ weak, Felicity.”

“Maybe if I was tougher, more like Sara or Thea or something that I’d be able to deal with all of this better than I am…”

“Stop that,” he said, turning to face her more fully and grasping her arms. “Don’t think like that. You kept me going in there.You know that?Just by being you, you kept me together. And you kept yourself together.”

“But—“

“But nothing. We’re going to get through this. You don’t have to do this alone,” he promised her. 

Her smile was weak and wobbly but he’d take it. Right then, he’d take it. 

“Could you maybe… stay with me? I think I’ll sleep better if you…” She trailed off, gesturing towards the bed. 

Oliver tried not to let his heart leap too far at the surge of hope this gave him. She just wanted him near for comfort, he reminded himself. They’d spent months together, sleeping entwined nearly every night. It was natural she’d want him close. He’d be lying if he said it wouldn’t help him sleep better too. 

“Yes, I’ll stay with you. If that’s what you want.” 

Her eyes widened. “It’s not… I’m not… We need more time to just—“

He held up a hand. “I know. This doesn’t mean anything, it’s just… comfort.”

She nodded, chewing on her lip a little.Oliver got up and rounded the bed. He got in on what had always been “his side”.Felicity settled in too, flipping around until she lay on her side, facing him. He wanted to lift a hand, to push her hair back from her face, to trace her cheek, to touch her shoulder. But he kept his hands to himself. 

“Okay?” he asked. 

She nodded again, but looked more relaxed. He watched as she closed her eyes and kept watching as she drifted off, her breathing evening out and her expression relaxing further. Only when he felt assured she was deeply asleep did he let himself drift off as well. 

***

When Oliver woke up in the morning, the space on the bed next to him was empty and he could hear the shower running in the adjoining bathroom. He blinked and peered at the alarm clock on the table next to Felicity’s side of the bed. It was 6:37. 

Before their capture, he would have been awake by at least 6am, probably out having a run. But his schedule was completely off and he’d been so exhausted last night. And he’d spent half the night sharing this bed with Felicity. Never touching her; no, he’d been careful to stay on his side. Which meant he hadn’t slept very deeply. But he wasn’t about to push the boundaries Felicity seemed to need. Not just yet, at least. They had other business to attend to first. 

Which reminded him… 

Oliver got up and went to the guest room and guest bathroom to take his own shower. He got dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and henley.It’d been so long since he’d worn normal clothes like this that it felt almost strange and foreign. But it felt good. So damn good. 

After he dressed, he went down to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee going. Rooting through the cupboards, he quickly found Felicity’s favorite travel mug and while the coffee was finishing up, he looked around for some sort of food she could take with her. There wasn’t much… in fact the fridge could qualify as a science experiment. That was going to have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. 

Oliver was able to locate some granola bars in the pantry and he set one on the island before pouring Felicity’s coffee into her mug, preparing it with sugar the way she liked. There was no creamer, naturally. But he knew her well enough to know that she’d be grateful for the caffeine boost even without the addition of cream. 

He was just pouring his own mug of coffee when he heard the clatter of Felicity’s heels on the stairs. He felt a pang in his chest before he even turned around; it was a sound he hadn’t heard in so long but was still so familiar. 

Oliver watched as she descended the stairs. She was dressed in a conservative dress with a smart looking blazer over the top of it. Her hair, though the darker roots had grown out some, was pulled back into a ponytail and made her look more like her old self. She smiled when she saw him, but he could tell it was a slightly strained smile. 

Her eyes widened, however, and the smile became genuine when she saw the travel mug and granola bar waiting for her on the island. She hurried over, picked up the tumbler and took a long sip before making a noise that made his pulse quicken for just a moment. 

“Oh my god. You are a lifesaver,” she groaned before taking another drink. “Coffee, I have missed you.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her. “Off to Palmer Tech?” he asked. 

She nodded. “I have so much mess to sort out. I mean thank _god_ the board didn’t fire me the last few months. But I get the impression they’re losing patience and fast. I have to make a presentation later this morning to reassure them that I’m 100% ready to get back to work and to hear their concerns about the implant and…” She paused and looked up at him, her eyes wide again. “I’m sorry, you don’t care about any of that.”

“Of course I care,” he told her. “Be sure to take it easy, okay? Don’t wear yourself out on your first day back.”

She flushed a little at that and he appreciated the way the blush extended down beyond the neckline of her dress. “I promise. I’m just so grateful that Walter stepped in while I was out. I didn’t even ask him to.”

“Walter is a great man. Thea must have called him when we… well, when we _left_.”

“Remind me to buy her a package of those cookies she loves from that bakery down the street.”

“Did you sleep okay last night? After—“ He cut himself off, not wanting to remind her of her nightmare if she’d already forgotten. 

She glanced down and nodded. “Yeah. And thank you, by the way, for staying with me. It did help.”

It soothed him a bit to hear that. “Good, I’m glad.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh! I wanted to tell you! I had a brilliant flash while I was in the shower. I’m not going to have a chance to do much with it this afternoon, as I expect Mr. Dennis and the board at Palmer Tech to keep me quite a bit on my toes but I don’t want to forget it either.”

“What is it?” he asked, sipping at his own coffee. 

“I think I’ve heard the name ‘the Love Doctors’ before. I’m not 100% sure, but it might have been something I heard while at MIT. I’m going to look into it, see if it leads us back to our psychos.”

“Felicity! That would be incredible!” Hope surged within him. Oliver wanted desperately to find these assholes, to make them pay. Not just for themselves, though that was a huge motivator, but for all the other people they’d victimized. Those monsters _had_ to be stopped. 

“No promises, but I’ll let the thought percolate today. I’ll come to the lair tonight, soon as I get free. You’ll be there?” she asked. 

Oliver hoped against hope he wasn’t imagining the hopeful note I her voice. “Yes, I’ll be there. I’m going to do some things around here and then I’ll head over, do a little training, try to get myself back up to fighting strength. Dig wanted to meet with me there too, go over some things.”

Felicity nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you there, then.” 

Oliver watched as she walked out the door. He wanted to ask her how she was feeling, make some sort of reference to the fact she had his child in her womb, but the words stuck in his throat. He could only watch the door swing shut and _hope_ that she did take it easy today. 

***

Oliver was hard at work in the gym in the lair when Thea arrived. He waved at her and she waved back but motioned for him to keep going. She leaned against a pillar, her ankles crossed, and he tried his best to ignore her and concentrate on the treadmill he was running on. But after a few minutes, her casual perusal of him was starting to make him nervous. He punched the stop button and walked off the treadmill, mopping at his brow with the towel that hung over a nearby piece of equipment. 

“If you hug me when you’re all sweaty, I’ll smack you,” she warned him as he approached her. “But I’m glad to see you, Ollie. I was starting to worry.”

“Its good to see you too, Speedy.Did Dig fill you in?” he asked before taking a long pull from his water bottle. 

She nodded. “Are you okay, Ollie? You’d tell me if you weren’t, wouldn’t you?” she asked, her voice small. 

Oliver just stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms, sweat or no sweat. She hugged him back tightly. “I am. I promise.”

“What about Felicity? Did they torture her too? Is she okay?” 

Oliver froze for a second and Thea pulled back, eyeing him worriedly. Dig probably hadn’t told her Felicity was pregnant. Any other circumstance, this would have been a much happier announcement. As it was, though he did still feel that small bubble of pleasure inside of him, it was tempered by the circumstances. And the fact that those monsters were still on the loose. 

“Why don’t we sit down,” he suggested. 

“She’s okay, isn’t she? Dig said he went to get both of you so I know she’s not…” She choked off the rest of her sentence. Oliver lead her to the lounge area where there was a sofa against the wall. He pulled her down to sit next to him, his heart twisting at how she held her fist over her mouth. 

She’d already lost Laurel recently… they all had and it wasn’t something Oliver had even begun to deal with yet. So he rushed to reassure his little sister that she hadn’t lost yet another friend. “She’s fine. I promise. They were a lot harder on me.”

“Okay? Then why are we sitting?” she asked, wiping at her eyes. 

“Because I do have something to tell you. It’s important news,” he told her. She took her his hands in hers and waited for him to continue. “The people that had us, they did more than just remove our memories. They manipulated us. The torture that Dig told you about was part of that manipulation. Their big goal was to try to see if we would fall in love with our memories taken from us. To see if whatever bond we had transcended those memories, I suppose.”

“What, like soulmates?” Thea asked. 

“I don’t know much about soulmates,” Oliver admitted. 

“It’s the idea that a pair of souls are bonded, that they’re fated to be together.”

He hummed. “Yes, then I suppose that’s what they were trying to determine. These people weren’t dealing with a full deck of cards.”

“Hey, I totally believe in soulmates,” Thea protested. 

“Can I continue?”

His sister made a face and sighed. “Fine, go on. You have no romance in your heart.”

“Anyhow, these people wanted to first see if we would fall in love as we had before and then they wanted to ensure we stayed together, since they planned to release us with our memories.”

“See, I don’t get that. Why let you guys go? It makes no sense.”

“Are you going to let me finish or not?” 

“Sorry.”

“The best way to ensure a lasting bond that they’d figured after running this experiment on other couples before us was for Felicity to become pregnant.”

Thea’s mouth dropped open. “Wait… _what_?”

“They kept us until Felicity conceived. Then they let us go, on the condition that we not interfere with the pregnancy. Felicity is pregnant.”

She was quiet, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at him. “I’m going to be an aunt?” she finally said, her voice a whisper. 

Tears immediately filled his eyes and he nodded. “Yeah.You are. I mean, Felicity hasn’t really talked about it and what she’ll do after we finally take these assholes down, but…”

“Are you saying Felicity might not want to keep the baby?” Thea looked stricken. Oliver understood the feeling but he didn’t want her to be thinking poorly of Felicity, regardless of what she chose. 

“I don’t know, Speedy. We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it. Right now, we just want to find these people and stop them.”

She nodded. And then, before he could blink, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight. “You’re going to be a dad.”

He had clamp his jaw to prevent a sound from escaping. Instead, he held his sister tighter. 

When she let him go, she looked more composed. “So are you two back together now at least?” 

Oliver blew out a breath. “No, we’re not. While our memories were gone, we didn’t know who we were or who each other was, but we were all we had. It was easy to be in love because there was no reason not to be. And we needed each other. It was simple.”

“It can be simple now too, you know.”

“No, it can’t, Speedy. I lied to her about William. She remembers that now, she remembers how I hurt her.”

Thea sighed. “I know. I understand too, I get her side of it. But… you two belong together. You’re perfect with each other. You give _me_ hope, you know that? I just… want you two to figure it out.”

He wanted so badly to reassure her that they _would_ figure it out. But he just didn’t know. And he didn’t want to promise something he wasn’t sure of himself. Still, he was determined to win her back. He just didn’t know… how. 

“Do you have any tips? Because I’m all ears,” he told his sister, trying to keep his voice light and teasing. 

But Thea could see right through him and she sat forward on the sofa, suddenly intent. “Wait. Is this my big brother _finally_ coming to me for love-life advice?” 

He shrugged a shoulder. “I mean, now isn’t the right time. We really need to track down these doctors, the sooner the better. But after that…”

“Okay, listen up. Right now, just be there. Don’t push her, don’t force her into any uncomfortable conversations or anything like that. But support her. And don’t do anything you _know_ will piss her off,” Thea said. 

“Okay? And how do I get her to forgive me?”

“That’s part two. You’ll get that after we nail these jerks to the wall.” 

“One thing at a time,” he said, mostly to himself. 

“You got it,” she agreed. “Now, do we have any leads we can chase down?”

“Felicity had one she was going to chase down, she’ll be by here soon as she’s done at Palmer Tech.”

“She went in to _work_?” Thea looked aghast. 

Oliver shrugged. “You know Felicity. She copes with stress by working. Plus, I got the impression that the board was breathing down her neck a bit for being a way for so long.”

She groaned. “And it’s not like Felicity can explain that she was gone because she was _kidnapped_.” 

“Exactly.”

“Poor Felicity,” Thea sighed.Then she chewed her lip thoughtfully. “You think she’d mind if I dropped by with some takeout for lunch? Maybe it’ll help brighten her day?”

“I think that’s a great idea. Plus you and I both know she won’t take the time to eat unless someone else makes her.”

Now, his sister grinned and Oliver enjoyed the gleam he saw in her eyes. “And it’s super important she eat well since she’s eating for two now.”

Oliver bit back a laugh. Instead, he shook his head at his sister. “Go on, now, before I make you spar with me.”

Thea scoffed. “The shape you’re in right now, I’d have you on the mats in five minutes.”

He didn’t doubt it, but he’d never tell her that. Instead, he shooed her away and made his way over to the salmon ladder to do as many runs as he could before his arms gave out. 

***

When Oliver got out of the shower several hours later, dressed in a henley and cargo pants, Felicity was sitting at her computers in the center of the lair, the sound of the keyboard keys clacking echoing in the quietness of the bunker. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Oliver asked as he approached. 

“Thea is on her way, she’s bringing some Big Belly Burger, and Dig went to go tuck Sara into bed. He’ll be back in a bit,” she answered, not even looking up from the screen. 

He walked up onto the dais but stopped a few feet away from her chair and watched her. She wore the same dress she had on that morning and not a hair was out of place in her perfect ponytail. But he could tell by the set of her shoulders that she was tense and exhausted. He hoped she wasn’t pushing herself too far but was afraid to bring it up. 

“So what’s the lead you were going to chase down?” he asked, breaking the silence. 

Felicity held up a finger, her universal signal to hold on a second. He watched as her fingers flew over the keyboard. She was intent on what she was doing and he waited, as patiently as he could, for her to finish. 

After a minute, she pushed the keyboard back with a gusty sigh. “There. I wanted to get the search running right away,” she explained. 

Oliver pulled up a chair next to her and balanced his elbows on his knees. “Is that the search for the ‘Love Doctors’?”

She nodded. “I know I heard it or read it something back at college. So I’m focusing the search on the east coast and the universities there first.”

“Good thinking. And how are things at Palmer Tech.” 

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Oh boy. The board isn’t remotely pleased by my absence. They’re going to be watching me close from now on, I fear. I’m going to have to balance dealing with them with helping you and the rest of the team find these psycho bastards.”

“And you have to sleep and eat in there somewhere too,” he reminded her.

“Sleep? Eat? Who has time for that?” She laughed bitterly. “I know I need it. Trust me, my body knows too. I feel like I’ve been up for 48 hours instead of just 13.” 

Oliver noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She’d stay here at the bunker the rest of the night if he didn’t make her leave at a reasonable hour. 

“Did Thea come by Palmer Tech to see you earlier?” he asked. 

“She did. She brought me lunch.” Felicity eyed him. “Did you send her?”

He didn’t want to lie. Felicity would see right through it anyhow. “I suggested it, yes. But she wanted to see you anyhow.”

She made a face. “I should be annoyed at you for meddling, but I know you were just concerned about me having lunch. And it was nice to visit with her. She came right when I needed her the most; I was about to tear my hair out over Mr. Dennis’ list of demands.”

Oliver smiled at that. “Good. I’m not sorry I did it, then.”

“Let’s just not make it a habit, okay?”

“That will depend entirely on how well you take care of yourself, you know,” he told her. When her lips thinned with displeasure, he pressed on. “It’s not just about you being pregnant. I’m concerned about _you_ too, you know.”

Her expression softened. “I appreciate that. But I’m not a child.”

“You can’t expect me to sit back and watch you run yourself into the ground, Felicity.”

“I promise I’ll try,” she told him. “I can’t guarantee I won’t slip into habit now and then though.”

“And I’ll be here to remind you when you do.”

“Maybe I should make an appointment. With a doctor,” she suggested softly. 

Oliver reached out and took her hand in his. He squeezed. “I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to—“

“I _want_ to, Felicity.”

She felt silent and he noticed her cheeks turning red a little. He hoped that was a good sign; he thought it probably was. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Oliver frowned. That made it sound like he was doing her a favor. Didn’t she understand that this involved him too? That he was in this with her, every step of the way? 

Before he could say anything, the elevator opened and Dig and Thea walked out, already talking about something. When they saw the two of them, they joined them up on the dais. 

“I’m running some searches which, god willing, will give us the names of the creeps we’re looking for,” Felicity explained to them. “While we’re waiting, why don’t you fill us in on everything that happened while we were gone. Dig, Oliver told me a little of what you told him about Darhk and how you guys took him down.”

They went to the table to sit and talk where it was more comfortable. Thea and Dig filled them in on the details of bringing Darhk down.  It had required help from Barry and Team Flash over in Central City, but together, they had mobilized the citizens of Star City to fight back against Darhk's magic. It turns out that even though things had been bad, there was more light than there was dark and the scales for good were tipped. Once Darhk was beaten down, his idol was destroyed for good and the man was thrown into the ARGUS prison on Lian Yu, right next to Slade Wilson.

“My dad, or the man I formerly recognized as my father, got away.  Of course,” Thea told them, bitterly. 

“We'll find him. Sooner or later. He can't hide forever. He's a rat, he'll show his head before too long,” Dig said, his expression darkening. “And when he does, he'll pay for what he's done. Laurel, Darhk, Thea, William... all of it.”

“Damn right,” Oliver cut in. "How about Andy?"

Dig made a face. “Also locked up in the ARGUS prison. I can't trust him. Darhk got to him, got to him _good_. I nearly killed him, there at the end. I had the chance to.”

“Oh, Dig,” Felicity said, her face twisted in sympathy. 

“I didn’t pull the trigger. At the time, it was hard not to but I'm glad now that I didn't. He’s not getting out. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I heard your voice in my head,” Dig told him. Oliver was touched. “I knew killing him wouldn’t solve anything and that the guilt would eat me alive.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. Still, turning him over to ARGUS couldn’t have been easy either,” Oliver replied. 

“Neither was having him betray me, betray the team. He’s why Laurel was killed, after all. If Darhk hadn’t gotten the idol back, she’d still be alive.”

“I’m glad you’ve put the blame where it belongs,” Felicity said. 

“Trust me, we had lots of long talks about that,” Thea cut in. “Andy and Malcolm showed us their true colors. As if kidnapping William wasn’t bad enough. And then Darhk holding the reins…”

“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that without us,” Oliver said. “I know we didn’t exactly have control over that situation, but it sounds like you needed us here.”

“We did. But we got it done.”

“Were you angry with us? Thinking we’d left on vacation?” Felicity asked. 

Thea winced. It was Dig who spoke. “Maybe a little. But only because things got so dire. Honestly, Felicity, if we’d known what you two were actually dealing with—“

She held up a hand. “You don’t have explain yourself. I would have done the same thing.”

“So what exactly _did_ happen? I’ve heard bits and pieces but not the whole story.”

Felicity filled them in on what had gone down in that compound, from the moment they woke up without their memories to when they’d woken up in the motel room. She glossed over some of the details of their physical relationship and Oliver knew it was because Thea and Dig really didn’t want to hear it. But even so, he found himself thinking back to those stolen moments. They’d comforted one another first and foremost. And that comfort had really helped him get through some of the harder days. He recalled that first time she kissed him, how suddenly there’d been more than just pain and bleakness in his life. And when they’d had sex… 

He’d had no prior knowledge at that point. Oliver hadn’t even remembered all the times he and Felicity had sex prior to their time in the compound. So when things had reached the breaking point, when their captors had pushed them too far and their emotions had run so high… coming together felt like the most natural thing in the world. And it had felt like the very first time he’d ever had sex, which in hindsight was laughable, but at the time, it’d meant the world. It’d felt like more than just _sex_ , even now that he had his memories back and could remember all the times he’d been with Felicity, plus all the times before. 

Their time together in that place had been special. Oliver knew what he could survive now, the memories of the island and Hong Kong and Russia, not to mention the last four years… But in that compound, he hadn’t known what he could survive. He hadn’t known the depths of human cruelty and how strong he could be in the face of it. Back in that compound, he’d really felt like he was on the edge of survival and the only thing holding him back was Felicity. 

He was still lost in these thoughts when a sharp beep from Felicity’s computer echoed through the bunker. Felicity jumped up right away. 

“The search!” she cried, hurrying to her chair. 

The rest of them followed closely on her heels and Oliver could feel the nervous energy coursing through his body as he stood behind her chair, trying not to fidget. Dig leaned down while Thea rested a comforting hand on his arm. 

“Anything?” he couldn’t help asking after a moment. 

“Bingo!” she said triumphantly, pushing away from the desk. “Found them. I was right. They are Drs. Jeremy Sampson and Matilda Crane. The school that kicked them out is Yale; I even found the article about it in the Boston Herald, the one I remembered reading. It was a huge deal and caused the university a good deal of embarrassment.Sampson and Crane vanished off the educational map. But look at these pictures of them, Oliver!”

He peered over her shoulder to look at the scan of the newspaper story detailing their expulsion from Yale University. There was no mistaking them, even though the picture was years old. He’d know those faces anywhere and they’d probably haunt his nightmares for years to come, alongside the likes of Fyers, Ivo, Slade, Reiter and Kovar… those _bastards_. 

It was them all right. 

His voice was a growl. “Where are they now?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to bring the people who took them to justice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was ridiculously hard to write this last week. Distraction surrounding the finale was part of it, my own problems with the show and the fandom were another. But I did it. I managed! Fingers crossed I can keep going. I *think* (if my crude outline is anything to go by) I only have two chapters left to write. Maybe three. But I'm hoping it's two. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through this, it has made all the difference and YOU are why I'm doing this.

_48 Hours Later…_

Oliver had wanted to rush in as soon as Felicity found the current location of the doctors. It’d only taken her a few hours of concentrated searching on her computers to trace these people back to a remote warehouse location not far from Pinewood. But Diggle had urged him to temper his anger for a bit and plan out the teams assault so that no mistakes were made. 

Oliver knew his friend and teammate was right, but it was hard to sit back for another day and a half, simply planning what to do instead of getting in there and _doing it_. 

But the end result is that Team Arrow traveled to the site in the van, armed to the teeth, schematics of the compound that Felicity had acquired via unconventional means fixed in their minds. They were ready. They were _more_ than ready.No one had spoken much since they got in the van. Dig drove and Felicity rode up front next to him. He and Thea were strapped in in the back, already in their suits but hoods down and masks off. 

Everyone’s minds were on the mission. Oliver was trying to tame the rage he felt towards these assholes. If he went in there with his temper unchecked, he could make a mistake. No, he needed to funnel that anger into something productive. But if he got a little rough, surely no one would hold it against him, right? 

The van slowed and Oliver leaned forward to peer out the windshield. The headlights of the van illuminated trees everywhere, and the steep and rocky terrain. It not only coincided with what they’d seen out the window of that creepy office, but with what Felicity had learned about the location when she’d researched the area. It was in the foothills of the mountain range, secluded from the nearest settlements by a good twenty miles. 

“Okay, I parked down the hill from the compound,” Dig announced, turning around in his seat. “We’re out of sight of the compound itself, but I don’t know if they have visual surveillance installed.”

“They do,” Felicity answered. Her fingers were flying over her tablet. “I’ve hacked in, jammed the signal. But if they’re watching, they know something is up. You guys better get moving.”

Oliver wasn’t going to argue with that. 

He, Dig and Thea all hopped out. Quivers were strapped on, firearms checked and holstered, helmets and masks secured, hoods drawn. The van doors were slammed shut and they watched as Felicity pulled the van off into the trees, hidden from the road. 

He tapped his comm activator on his chest. “Overwatch, are we patched in?”

“Patched in and ready, Green Arrow,” she confirmed. She was set up in the back of the van by now, her laptop at the ready, already hacked into the network at the compound. 

“Are we going to have company?” Dig asked as the three of them hiked up through the trees towards the compound. 

“It’s late, looks like they have a skeleton crew overnight as we suspected,” Felicity informed them. “Heat signatures show three guards already gathering near the entrance.”

“Any more on the inside?” Thea asked. 

“Two more, near the rear. Uhmmm… Looks like living quarters back there. I can make out the doctors. Or, who I assume are the doctors. Two more heat signatures in separate rooms.”

“Copy that, Overwatch.”

They’d all studied the schematics so even under the cloak of night, the three of them knew exactly where to go. They all knew the plan: neutralize the guards, capture the doctors and gift-wrap them for the authorities and then see about releasing any subjects currently in custody. Or at least notifying authorities that they were there. None of them knew the first things about how to restore those poor people’s memories, after all. 

They approached the compound. Dig made quick work of the perimeter fence. They scanned the yard, but found no guards patrolling. And why would they? It was the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. The video feed on the fritz might have the guards inside on alert, but as far as they knew, it could just be a run of the mill technical malfunction. Felicity, after all, was just that good. 

They’d agreed before getting in the van earlier to try to stick together as much as possible. Since guard duty would be light, there was little chance of them being surrounded and they could use the benefit of having numbers. 

“Overwatch, we’re at the door,” Oliver said into his comm. 

“Copy that,” she replied. A moment later, the light over the keypad turned from red to green and there was a clicking sound. “Okay, you’re good to go.”

Thea opened the door and using tight flanking protocol, they all entered. As Felicity had warned them, three guards met them just beyond the door. They were as big and brutish as Oliver remembered, but this time he had not only his weapon, but backup and the knowledge that he could take these fuckers down. 

Oliver took profound delight in letting his knee crunch up against one guard’s face, breaking his nose. He was almost tempted to ask his teammates to let him take out the others but he reminded himself he wasn’t here for vengeance. He was here for _justice._

He and Thea used tranq arrows while Dig set his gun to stun and after a short scuffle, the guards were out. Thea secured their wrists and ankles, leaving them for the authorities that Felicity would call in after the operation was complete. 

The corridor was dark, but just as long and ominous as Oliver recalled. He’d never seen it dark like this. As they passed the doors, he wondered which one was the one they’d been held in. He wondered how many of these doors held other couples, scared and vulnerable. It filled him with renewed purpose as he lead the charge down the hallway, an arrow already nocked in his bow. 

“Are you sure this is the way?” Thea asked, eyeing some of the doors as they passed them. 

“Overwatch, are we on target?” Dig asked into his comm. 

“Straight ahead, Spartan. Green Arrow knows where to go,” she replied crisply. He could hear it in her voice too. This was pure business. 

Just past the door that lead to the office ( _that_ door he remembered quite clearly), there was a door that opened to another shorter hallway. This time, there was a small window in the door and Oliver held up a hand, signaling for Dig and Thea to hold back a moment. He saw one guard… no, wait… two, on the other side. They seemed to be on alert. Either the surveillance malfunction had alerted them or the guards they’d taken out had. Or both. 

He counted down with three gloved fingers. When he got to one, he pulled open the door and Thea went through first, firing a flash arrow into the wall that produced a bright light and a decent amount of smoke, disorienting the guards. 

Dig and Oliver rushed in and quickly overpowered them, knocking them out. Thea secured them as she’d done the other guards. 

“That was too easy,” Dig said. “I barely got winded.”

“They have at least twice as many around during the day. And believe me, when you have no memories and no weapons, they’re a lot more intimidating,” Oliver pointed out. 

“I’m not doubting you, man. I’m just glad this wasn’t any harder than it was.”

“Now the fun part?” Thea asked, sounding enthused. 

Oliver smirked. “Now the fun part.”

“Heat signatures show the doctors still in their quarters. End of the hall from where you are, two doors across the hall from one another,” Felicity said over the comms. 

“Be ready to call it in, Overwatch,” he told her. 

“Roger that, Green Arrow.”

He signaled to Dig to take the room across the hall and on another synchronized count, they enter both rooms at the same time, Thea close on his heels. What he found beyond was a small apartment. A modest living area, a neat and functional kitchen and a door that presumably lead to a bedroom area beyond. His patience was at an end, his adrenaline was running high and he was tired of playing this game. Curling his lip, Oliver lifted his leg and kicked open the door, the sound deafening in the quiet. 

In the bedroom beyond, the figure on the bed jumped up quickly, shouting. His disgust grew as he recognized Dr. Bridger. Or Dr. Sampson. Sniveling bastard. He was in pajamas, rumpled from sleep, his face twisted in fear in the darkened bedroom. No one had alerted him about the breach in security, apparently. Sloppy. 

“Jeremy Sampson!” he yelled, his modulator on and distorting his voice. He had an arrow nocked and pointed directly at the man who had made their lives hell for three months. 

“Y-yes? W-who are you?” The other man’s voice trembled as he reached behind him for his eyeglasses on the night table beside his bed. 

“Don’t. Move,” Oliver growled. Dr. Sampson froze and lifted his hands in the air. 

“What do you want!” he cried. 

“I’m here to put an end to your sick operation. My associate is across the hall, apprehending your accomplice. You’re finished. This… experiment of yours… it’s over.”

“How did you find out about us?” 

“We make it our business to root out injustice.”

“But we’re not doing anything wrong—“ 

Oliver couldn’t bear to hear any excuses come out of this man’s mouth. He lowered his bow and stepped forward, landing a right hook that had the doctor crumpling into a heap. Thea, who had been standing behind him, leapt forward and grabbed his arm. 

“No! I know you’re mad, but we have to do this right,” she urged him. 

“She’s right,” Felicity said, her voice crackling in his ear. “I’d love to beat these assholes around too but let’s let ARGUS take care of them.”

Oliver grumbled but stepped back. Thea came forward with the zipties and rolled the now-prone doctor over, securing his wrists behind his back. Dig walked in, his shoulders filling the doorway. He nodded at his teammate. 

“You get Dr. Crane?” he asked. 

“Sure did. She’s secure.”

“Okay, Overwatch, make the call,” Oliver said into the comms. 

“Sure thing, Green Arrow. Don’t forget the documentation,” she chirped back. 

Oliver looked to Dig and Thea and pointed towards the door. With one last backwards glance at the man on the floor, his legs and arms bound, he strode out of the apartment. There’d be a confrontation between them, Oliver would make sure of it. Except this time, that bastard would know who he was talking to and _exactly_ why he was behind bars. 

“C’mon,” he said roughly to Dig and Thea as he lead the way back out in the hallway. “Let’s get the files Overwatch instructed us to secure so we can make sure this whole case sticks.”

He walked straight to the office, the one he and Felicity had been brought to and finally told the truth. Oliver fought the involuntary shudder that coursed through him as he stepped inside. He ignored the awful memories of the last time he’d been in this room and quickly rounded the desk. He plugged the flash drive into the computer and downloaded the contents of the hard drive, as Felicity had instructed him. Thea and Dig walked in and started raiding the bookcases and file cabinets. The three of them worked in silence for a few minutes, Felicity chiming in over the comms that ARGUS was on their way. 

“Jackpot!” Thea yelled out a moment later. She pulled a file from the cabinet. “I only glanced, but it seems like this is a listing of all the couples they have kidnapped over the years, all the details, right down what they did to them and what their current names and locations are.”

“Perfect,” Dig growled, taking the file from her. “I’ll make sure Lyla gets this.”

“I’ve got the flash drive. We’ll leave the computer here for ARGUS to find and search.” Oliver announced. 

They gathered their things and walked out down the hallway, stepping over the still-prone forms of the guards as they passed. Oliver resisted kicking them as he passed, but only barely. 

As they stepped out into the night, Oliver felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. They walked down to the van, Dig on the phone with Lyla already and arranging to meet her on the road up to the compound to hand off the files. Oliver just listened to the wind in the pines, the crickets chirping away in the underbrush and the peace of knowing that his latest nightmare was now over. 

Now all he had to do was get things with Felicity back on the right page again. 

***

“Are you ready for this?” Oliver asked Felicity. 

They stood in an empty room at ARGUS headquarters in Star City. It was the following afternoon and Lyla had arranged for them to have a moment with Sampson and Crane before they were transferred to a federal prison. She’d argued, and Oliver had agreed, that the Lian Yu supermax wasn’t the right place for these two. A federal prison, however, was just their speed. Plus, it would be very easy for Felicity to keep tabs on them there, putting both of them more at ease. 

“Yes.No. I don’t know.” She chewed on the side of her thumbnail before catching herself and whipping her hand back to her side. “How about you?”

“Yes. Very ready.”

She was wearing one of what he always called her “power” dresses. It was dark red, no-nonsense, and made her look like a billion dollars. Her hair was pulled into a sleek twist at the back of her head, her glasses were in place and she looked 100% guarded against any threat. As much as he enjoyed the power Felicity exuded when she put her mind to it, he knew she was burying a lot of her feelings and hoped that maybe later he’d be able to encourage her to open up. 

Oliver wore a suit but knew he’d feel more comfortable in his Green Arrow gear. Still, he was more than ready to see this through. 

The door to the room opened and Lyla poked her head in. “We’re ready for you,” she announced. 

Oliver reached out to cup Felicity’s elbow, to lead her out of the room, but she moved before he could touch her. She walked out ahead of him. Sighing, Oliver followed her. Lyla showed them to a room but before she unlocked the door, she stopped them with a firm look. 

“They are handcuffed and we have surveillance on the room. I will be next door, monitoring. I don’t expect there to be a problem, but I want to caution you from getting… enthusiastic,” Lyla said, fixing him with a look. 

“We’ll be on our best behavior, I promise,” Felicity said, trying for lightness. 

Oliver nodded his grudging agreement. Lyla nodded sharply.

“Okay. Just remember, I’m doing you guys a favor here,” she said as she opened the door. 

She held the door for them and in the room beyond, Oliver could see a long table dividing the room and on the other side of that table sat Sampson and Crane. Crane had her cuffed hands resting on the table top while Sampson held his in his lap. They were both dressed in blue scrubs, not unlike the garments that he and Felicity had been forced to wear. That made his lips twitch a little as he allowed Felicity to pass in front of him. 

As they took their seats on the opposite side of the table, the doctors both looked startled to see them. Oliver had a pretty good guess why. 

“Not expecting to see us here, were you?” he asked them. 

Sampson blinked rapidly. “But… you were warned not to go to authorities and we had surveillance on you…”

“Yeah, about that,” Felicity cut in. “We know you bugged the motel room. What about my loft?”

“We weren’t able to get audio or visual surveillance inside your home. However we did have access to the video feed from the building lobby and elevator, as well as your office,” Crane supplied. At Sampson’s harsh look, she shrugged elegantly. “You know ARGUS either already knows about that or would have found out shortly, Jeremy. Let’s not be naïve, here.”

Sampson grumbled but didn’t say anything.

“You are both fairly high profile citizens in Star City, and most of our watching you was going to be dependent on that. We knew there was no way you could visit a clinic for an abortion, for example, without us hearing about it through the media. Same with having different residences,” Crane went on to explain. 

Oliver could have pointed out about a billion flaws with that thinking and from the look on Felicity’s face, she had the same thought. But there were more pressing matters to discuss at the moment. 

“How did you alert ARGUS without our knowing?” Sampson wanted to know. 

This was something that he and Felicity had discussed at length. Oliver was tempted to let these monsters know just who he was, what he was capable of. What _Felicity_ was capable of. How the two of them chased down criminals like them every day. But she’d warned him that it wouldn’t be a good idea. When his head had cooled, he’d realized she was right. There was no telling if these “doctors” would use that information against them, even though Lyla knew the secret. The American justice system did _not_ and they’d prefer to leave it that way. 

“I’m sure you’d love to know the answer to that,” Felicity began calmly. “Just like I’m sure we would love to know why you selected us for your sick little experiment in the first place or what you possibly thought you might achieve through it. I’d love to know why you felt you had to _torture_ us for weeks on end, just because you two were set on playing God. But some answers will never be known fully. And I’d like you to think about that, while you rot in your cells. Think about how you’ll never know just had badly you underestimated us.”

Crane and Sampson gaped at Felicity in shock and then looked at him, only to find him beaming in pride. That was his Felicity. She could build you up in a heartbeat or tear you down to the ground. He didn’t think he’d ever be over just how amazing that trait was. Just one of the many, many reasons why he was so desperately in love with her. 

“The world is learning about who you are and what you’ve done. They’ve released the subjects you had in confinement and the others have been notified that they’re safe now. Safe from you and your sick experiments,” Oliver told them. “You won’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again”

“Shame on you for claiming you did this in the name of science,” Felicity added, disdain dripping from her tone. 

“But it was!” Sampson sputtered. 

“Enough!” Oliver bellowed. “What you did was kidnapping and torture. And it is _illegal_. And what we’ve done is make sure that you spend the rest of your miserable lives paying for what you’ve done.”

“Can I ask a question?” Crane asked, more calm and restrained than her partner. Oliver was about to tell her that no, she could not, but she continued on. “Are you two still together?”

Felicity’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Call it curiosity. If I’m to spend my life behind bars, I’d like to have something to contemplate.”

Oliver wanted to tell her to go to hell but Felicity seemed to sense that and put a hand on his arm. “We broke up for good reasons, Dr. Crane. Those reasons don’t disappear just because you stole our memories for three months and because I became pregnant.”

“But you haven’t terminated,” Sampson pointed out. 

Felicity rolled her shoulders and Oliver could feel her irritation because he shared it. “It’s only been a few days,” he replied. 

“Will you?” Dr. Crane asked. 

“Again, that’s none of your business.” Felicity’s voice was firm but Oliver could see by the way her fingers trembled where she held them together in her lap that she was at the end of her rope. And, quite frankly, so was he. 

“What happens with us from this point forward is none of your concern. And I will do whatever I can to make sure that you never have contact with either of us again nor will you ever _learn_ what becomes of us,” Oliver promised. 

Maybe he was imagining it, but Oliver thought the doctors paled a little, hearing his words. 

“Is that all you’ve come to say?” Sampson asked, trying and failing to regain a little of his dignity. 

“Do you have anything to add, Felicity?” Oliver asked her. 

Her eyes narrowed a little and she leaned forward in her seat. “I want you to know that whatever happens or doesn’t happen from this moment forward is in spite of you two. You have not beaten us. You haven’t taken our free will. And you will never breathe free air again.”

Oliver nodded and stood, taking Felicity’s hand and pulling her to her feet again. “Agent Michaels, we’re ready,” he said loudly. 

They stared stonily at the doctors, who stared just as aggressively back at them, until Lyla opened the door to the room again. They filed out, neither one of them casting a look back at the two people who had so upended their lives that there was a very real chance they’d never recover from it. 

***

Oliver unlocked the door to the loft and ushered Felicity inside. They were both practically dead on their feet, exhausted by the days events. Neither of them had gotten any real sleep to speak of the previous night. Before the op they’d been too keyed up to doze, even on the two hour drive there. Afterwards, the adrenaline had been even worse. By the time they’d arrived back in Star City, the sun was rising and Felicity insisted she was fine to go into work. 

Lyla had called him that afternoon to tell him she’d arranged for him and Felicity to speak to the doctors, if they so wished. He’d assured that they indeed _did_ wish. Without even asking Felicity, he knew she’d want the opportunity every bit as much as he had. So he’d called her at work to tell her about it. She’d then told him she’d meet him at ARGUS because she wanted to go back to the loft to change her outfit. Her armor. She certainly wore that dress as though it were made of kevlar. 

“I want to go to bed,” Felicity whined, tossing her purse and phone on the kitchen bar. 

“Not until you’ve had dinner,” Oliver reminded her.“You promised.”

It was nearly seven o’clock when they headed back from ARGUS. Even though Oliver didn’t need to stay at the loft anymore, now that the doctors were in custody, he hadn’t even considered going to the bunker. And when he’d suggested they stop and pick up burgers to bring back to the loft, Felicity hadn’t argued with him. It wasn’t explicit consent to him still being there, but he was just desperate enough at the moment to take it. 

Frankly, he still felt the need to be near her. Damnit all to hell, the hours she spent at Palmer Tech were torture enough for him and he had to resist either going over there or texting her the entire time, just to make sure she was okay. He’d never been this possessive, this protective before. He’d always kept those tendencies in check. It was as though his control over those instincts, especially concerning Felicity, were destroyed at that compound. 

Right now, those instincts were screaming at him to make sure she ate a decent meal before she slept for at least twelve hours. Himself as well. His stomach grumbled as he smelled the burgers in the bag he sat on the bar next to Felicity’s purse. His eyes burned for sleep. It wasn’t even (just) about Felicity being pregnant, they _both_ needed to recharge, badly. 

It was a testament to how tired and hungry she must have felt that Felicity gave in quickly. She slumped into a chair at the table. “Fine. Have it your way,” she grumbled. 

Oliver chuckled as he unpacked the food, set it on plates and brought it over to the table. Felicity dug into her Belly Buster right away, chewing with gusto. Oliver already had a handful of fries shoved in his mouth. It all tasted absolutely miraculous and he had to remind himself not to eat too quickly. 

They didn’t talk much, just ate in companionable silence until the gnawing edges of hunger were finally abated. Finally, Felicity sat back in her chair, groaning, as she passed a hand over her stomach. 

“I ate too much,” she moaned. 

Oliver polished off the rest of his fries and grinned. “You ate just enough. You’re just not used to such big meals yet. Neither am I,” he admitted. 

“What do I tell the doctor tomorrow?” she asked him, her eyes growing serious. 

Felicity had an appointment with an obstetrician tomorrow, her first. They still hadn’t really _talked_ about the fact that she was pregnant, nor had they even touched the subject of whether or not to keep the pregnancy. But Oliver knew she was waiting for this appointment, waiting to see what the doctor said, waiting to get the doctors locked up. He was waiting too. And now that waiting was over. 

“About what?” he asked, pushing his own plate away. 

“My nutrition. Or lack thereof. What if the doctor notices things? We’re not telling anyone we were kidnapped, right?” she asked. 

They’d talked a little bit about this, on the drive back to Star City that morning. Dig and Thea had slept in the back of the Arrow van and Oliver and Felicity took turns driving, the other sitting up in the front next to them. They’d both agreed that if they could prevent their names being released in the prosecution of the doctors, that’d be ideal. Lyla couldn’t promise them anything, of course, but as it stood, there was no reason for them to be anything more than anonymous in the charges against Sampson and Crane. God willing, it’d stay that way. 

“No, we’re not. If the doctor asks, we can just tell him that you’ve been working a lot lately and skipping meals,” Oliver suggested. 

Her eyebrows went up. “We?”

“I’m coming to the appointment with you, of course.”

“Oh!” Her lips formed that little “o” of surprise that he always found both equally alluring and adorable. His smile was automatic. 

“I wouldn’t miss it, Felicity. Regardless what decision you make, I hope you include me in that. And I want to be a part of this, every step of the way.”

Her cheeks pinked up. “Oliver… that’s… _wow_. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

She smiled at him and it was so much like the way she used to smile at him, back before he fucked everything up by lying to her that it made his heart ache. It also made him extra fearful of doing something, _anything_ , to mess things up again. 

He stood up from the table and picked up the plates, taking them over to the sink. He quickly cleaned up the bags from Big Belly Burger. Felicity joined him, watching him with a gently amused expression. 

“You don’t have to do all that, you know. Let me do it,” she said. 

Oliver shrugged. “You’re exhausted.”

“So are you.”

She had a point there. “I like doing it,” he said, simply. It was better than telling her the full truth: that taking care of her soothed something in him right now. 

As soon as he was done, he wiped his hands on his pants. Felicity stood, her arms crossed over her chest but looking relaxed. Now he had to do what he really didn’t want to. 

“I think it’s time to turn in,” he told her. After a small pause, he continued. “I can go to the bunker tonight… if that would make you more comfortable.”It pained him to offer that, because his very skin called out at him to stay near to her. But he wasn’t going to push her any further than she could tolerate. 

“No!” she said sharply. Blushing a little, she tried again. “No, that’s okay. You can stay here again.I… I don’t mind.”

He blew out the breath he’d unconsciously been holding. “All right. I’ll stay here then. Again.” He’d been staying in the loft since their first night back in town. Technically, he was still in the guest room, but each night he’d ended up in her room with her, except for the one night where she’d ended up in his. It’d been a proximity thing, but they’d been careful to stay to their own sides of the bed. No touching, in the night. They’d both been very careful of that. 

They each headed up the stairs and when Oliver turned to go into the guest room, Felicity stopped and grabbed at his arm. “Actually…”She trailed off, biting her lip. 

Oliver’s eyebrow went up. “What is it?”

“It’s been a hell of a day. Hell of two days, actually. And I just… I know I’d sleep better having you there. In the room with me.” She blushed and averted her eyes and Oliver fought to keep the leaping of hope inside his chest down to a dull roar. 

“I can do that. You’re sure?” 

Felicity nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”

He washed up for bed and put on his sweats in the guest room before going to the room he’d once shared with Felicity… the room he seemed to be sharing with her again, though on a less formal basis. She was still in the bathroom so he climbed into the bed on his side, fluffing the pillow and relaxing down into the sheets. 

His head had no sooner hit the pillow than the bathroom door opened and Felicity emerged. She wore her usual pajamas… sleep pants and a tank top. Her hair was down and her face scrubbed clean. She looked so beautiful that it nearly overwhelmed him. 

God, he missed her. 

Instead of blurting out something he’d regret, he smiled benignly at her. She smiled back, a little awkward, and climbed into bed next to him. She paused for a moment turning towards him. 

“Goodnight,” she said. 

“Goodnight.” 

She switched off the lamp illuminating the room, plunging the room into darkness and settled down on her side, facing away from him. He remained where he was a moment longer, listening to the evenness of her breathing, before he turned on his side too and closed his eyes. As tired as he was, it didn’t take sleep long at all to claim him. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver accompanies Felicity to her doctor appointment and some important decisions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I *almost* forgot to post this chapter this morning! My schedule is all messed up now that the kids are home from school on summer break. Monday bleeds into Tuesday bleeds into Wednesday... OOPS! But I remembered! And here I am. 
> 
> The end is in sight. I've decided that while the last chapter is looking like it'll exceed my usual ~5k words, I'll keep it to one chapter instead of splitting it up so that makes this story a total of 11 chapters. God willing, I will be finished with it by next Monday. It is going to be a long one, though, and there's the usual dragging of my feet when it comes to ending a fic. But then I'll be able to focus on my OFBB2 fic (which has been awfully neglected the last couple weeks) and/or anything else I want to work on. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is reading along and offering support and comments and likes and kudos. You guys are the best.

Oliver woke with the scent of vanilla and honey filling his nostrils, the warmth of a body pressed to his, the quiet breathing that matched his own filling the silence of the dawn. It was familiar and perfect and he didn’t even think that it was wrong until his mind finally solidified around him. He was in his bed, his _old_ bed, with Felicity. And they were entwined like they would have ben months ago, before they separated. Or like last week, when they had no memory of their breakup.

Oliver had his nose pressed to the back of her neck, deep in her flowing hair. That was why he was smelling her distinctive shampoo that she always insisted on using. Her back was pressed against his front, his arms tight around her waist and holding her to him. Her own arms were wrapped around his, holding him against her just as much as he was holding her. His leg was situated between hers and even through her pajama pants and his own sweatpants, he could feel the welcoming warmth of her skin. The calf of her leg that rested on top of his wound around his leg, entwining them together even further. It was a position very familiar to them. How many mornings had he woken up just like this? Too many to count. 

It was the fear that he might not ever get to experience it again… a fear that he’d had from the moment she’d handed the ring back to him the second time, that kept him from pulling away now. He knew he should. This was a mistake and Felicity would likely be upset if she woke and found them cuddling like this. But it felt so damn _good_ that he couldn’t bring himself to draw back. Not yet. 

Instead, he burrowed closer, if it was possible. Just five more minutes… 

Felicity shifted in his embrace. It wasn’t a restless movement, but almost as though she was cuddling into the warmth of his body even further. Then, he heard it. 

It was a small sigh of contentment. 

She was waking up; he recognized the signs. He had a choice to make here; slip away from her before she became fully awake and thus avoid a potentially awkward moment or remain where he was and pretend he’d been asleep this whole time as well, therefore just as innocent as she was. Theoretically. There was _no way_ he could let her know that he lay here, awake, holding her and enjoying it for as long as he had. And clearly, if he was any sort of gentleman, slipping away was the right answer. It avoided both of them the embarrassment that would surely come if she woke up and found herself wrapped around him like this… and him wrapped around _her_. Yes, that’s what he should do—

The choice was taken out of his hands when, a moment later, Felicity stretched in his arms. Her legs rubbed deliciously along his and he had to stifle a groan by biting his cheek. He felt her go completely still and knew that she was now awake and aware. He tried to keep his own body relaxed as he waited for her to process their positions. 

Oliver didn’t have to wait long. After a moment, she looked back over her shoulder towards him. Before he could tell himself to close his eyes and pretend he was still asleep, he found himself meeting her eyes. His arms were still tight around her; he couldn’t seem to make himself let go.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice husky with sleep. And… other things… 

Her cheeks were pink. “Hey,” she said, her voice just as low. 

He expected Felicity to pull back from his embrace, but she didn’t. Instead, Oliver felt his heart leap when her eyes drifted down to his lips, rather deliberately. His blood began to heat as he allowed his gaze to drop as well. 

It’d been too long since he’d kissed her. It felt that way, at least, even though it’d been less than a week since they’d been in that compound together. He wanted to, he _needed_ to. From the look of it, she wanted it to. She still wasn’t moving away from him. 

Holding his breath and with his heart pounding inside his chest, Oliver leaned closer to her, bending his head towards hers. He moved slowly, giving her time to draw away. But she didn’t. Instead, Felicity mirrored him, tilting her head towards him. He let his mind fall blissfully blank as his lips touched hers. 

Her lips were soft and warm and Oliver fell into them without even thinking. In fact, all thought but the feel of her body against his and her mouth on his flew out of his mind as he kissed her deeper. He relished the soft sound of contentment that spilled from his lips, that he swallowed greedily. 

Her hands grabbed at him, seemingly unsure where to hold him. They landed on his face, cupping his cheeks and then the back of his head, holding him to her as she kissed him back. Oliver fought a tremble, fought the urge to push things further, even as his hand clutched at the thin cotton of her tank top. The memory of how her body would move as he touched assailed him and he had to pull himself away from the kiss, gasping for air. He clutched at her sides, his eyes squeezed closed and his forehead pressed to hers, trying to find stable ground. 

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered and the need he could hear in his voice had him aching to just wrap around her again and forget himself. 

But it wasn’t right. _This_ wasn’t right. They were just now rebuilding their relationship, their friendship, re-establishing trust and connection. If they rushed headlong into sex right now, it could set off a bomb on all the progress they’d made. He wasn’t willing to risk it, not even when he wanted so badly to sink into her wet heat and make them both feel so good. 

“Felicity,” he began, but he trailed off. Regret filled his voice and his eyes as he opened them and looked at her. She looked at him for a moment, clearly seeing his emotions. 

A protest rose in his throat as she drew away from him, disentangling herself from his body. Her cheeks were red and he knew she felt embarrassed. He hated it. He tried to reach for her, to hold her in place, to explain to her, but she snatched herself away, getting up out of the bed quickly and fixing a false smile on her face. 

“I don’t know why my alarm didn’t go off. I think I’ll hop in the shower before I make myself any later than I already am,” she explained, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “See you this afternoon at the appointment?”

Oliver nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Great.” She let her eyes drop as she turned around and hurried into the bathroom. 

Oliver fell back against the pillows and groaned. Had he done the right thing? He didn’t want to rush things, but had pushing her away done even more damage? 

***

A huge accident involving a semi truck tried up all the downtown traffic and caused Oliver to run late for the appointment with Felicity’s obstetrician. He cursed to himself, wishing he’d taken the Ducati instead of the car. How was he supposed to show Felicity he wanted to be there for her if he couldn’t even be on time? 

Oliver swore as he jerked his car into the first parking spot he found in the parking garage next to the medical offices. He was running late and it was hot as hell outside and he was sweating all over himself and he was _late_. 

He’d put on a suit… he hadn’t worn a suit since calling off his mayoral campaign and it felt a little odd (and on a warm day like this, stiflingly hot), but he figured he should get used to it. Because, since Ruvè had died in the collapse of Damien’s bunker community, he was running for mayor _again_ , this time in the runoff election taking place in a couple weeks. In fact, he was supposed to be shooting a press conference right after this appointment so the suit would be doing double duty. 

He couldn’t think about that now, though. Now, he needed to focus on Felicity and this baby and what this hopefully meant for their future and not being more than a ghastly ten minutes late for this appointment. 

Oliver found the 2 nd floor office easy enough and his breath gushed out of him in a relieved sigh when he found Felicity still sitting in a chair in the waiting room. Smoothing his tie, he smiled at her and crossed the room to drop into the seat next to hers. 

“You made it!” she chirped. 

“Barely. I’m so sorry, there was traffic and—“

Felicity held up a hand. “It’s okay. Honestly. I saw the traffic on my way in here myself. And they’re running a little behind anyhow.You’re here now.”

He smiled at her. “Yes, I’m here now.No place else I’d rather be.”

She blushed at his words. “You ready for the press conference later?” she asked. Felicity knew all about his plans, of course. She was the one who’d encouraged it when the city councilman approached him shortly after their return to Star City about running. Plus, he was through keeping his plans and thoughts from her.He wanted to show her that he thought of her as a true partner now. 

“Not really,” he admitted. “But I’m doing it anyway.”

Her dimples showed as she grinned. “That’s the ticket. I’ll be there, lending my moral support. Thea said she’d be there too. Is Dig coming?”

“Yep.”

“See? The whole team, having your back. It’ll be great, you’re a shoo-in.”

“Provided no more megalomaniacs run against me,” he grumbled. 

She nudged his shoulder. “Hey, no negative thinking.”

It felt good, Oliver thought, as Felicity picked up a magazine and nervously paged through it. It wasn’t exactly the same, but he felt like they were getting some of their banter back. He wanted to talk about what had happened that morning between them, and maybe he’d bring it up after the press conference. Right now, however, he felt hopeful and comfortable and so incredibly in love with this woman. 

“Felicity Smoak?” a nurse called out. She jumped next to him and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it before getting up and pulling her to her feet. 

They followed the nurse out of the waiting room and Oliver hung back as the nurse weighed Felicity, took her blood pressure, her temperature. Then she guided her to a bathroom, giving her a small cup to fill. The nurse smiled at Oliver and offered to show him to the exam room where they would be meeting the doctor and having an ultrasound to date the pregnancy. Felicity handed off her purse and he dutifully carried it to the room for her. 

It was a small room, but there was a window overlooking a green courtyard beyond. It was a good thing there was a window otherwise it’d feel too much like the compound. He hoped Felicity didn’t notice that and feel put off by it. 

“Go ahead and have a seat,” the nurse said, indicating a chair that sat next to the exam table.

Oliver sat, setting Felicity’s purse on the floor next to him. He felt nervous, as nervous as he’d feel if the appointment were for him, probably. 

“Is this your first one?” she asked as she busied around the room, collecting various utensils and equipment. 

“Hmm?” Then he realized what she was asking. “Oh! Uhm.” How did he answer this? Clearly, there was William but he hadn’t been on this side of things before. He’d never been to any appointments with Samantha or anything. “Yes, this is my first time doing all this.”It wasn’t a lie, he told himself. 

“I could tell. You look white as a sheet.” The nurse smiled kindly at him and it soothed his nerves a little. Part of it was the circumstances of this visit but part of it was the last time either of them had dealt with doctors and nurses and exam tables… things hadn’t gone so well. He had to keep reminding himself this was different. They were free. 

“Just a little nervous,” he replied. 

“It’s natural,” she assured him. “But try to relax. Dr. Minkowski is one of the best in the state. Your wife is in good hands.”

Before Oliver could correct her, Felicity knocked on the door and stepped inside. The nurse directed her towards the exam gown. “I need you to strip all the way down and then put this on,” she instructed.“I’ll be back in with the doctor in a few minutes.”

“Really? Strip before meeting the doctor?” Felicity grumbled as she began to unbutton the blouse she’d worn to work.Oliver averted his eyes, struggling to remind himself to be a gentleman. 

“Is that not usual? Should we find another doctor?” he asked. He was watching her closely, trying to see if she was upset by the exam room or the situation. Her comfort was top priority to him. 

“Nah.” She waved her hand and continued undressing. Oliver looked away, studying the plastic sculpture of a uterus on the counter next to him instead. “Some have you meet in an office first, some don’t. I imagine, popular as Dr. Minkowski is, they try to cut out as much of time wasters as possible, so she can see more patients.”

That was his Felicity, always practical. He smiled in spite of himself and tried not to notice the rustling sounds of her getting undressed behind his back. Now was _so_ not the time to think about that!

“Okay, I’m changed,” she announced.There was a rustling as he turned and he saw her perching on the exam table, wearing the medical gown that looked as though it opened in the back. Another drape lay across her lap, where she had her hands folded.She looked nervous. 

“Are you okay with this?” he asked her, holding her gaze with his. 

She bit her lip and then nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you it doesn’t bring some thoughts back. But this place is different, this doctor is different. Shoot, the nurse _smiled_ at us. And this is something _we’re_ controlling.That makes all the difference.”

Oliver felt his shoulders relax as he sat back in the chair. She was right, of course. Felicity often was. This was a different situation and they were in control here. That was the most important thing. 

There was a sharp knock at the door and then it opened, revealing the nurse from before a woman, slightly older than him with sandy brown hair and light blue eyes, walked in the room. She had on the white coat and the stitching over the one side of the chest said, “Dr. Nichole Minkowski, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.” She’d just barely entered the room and already Oliver could feel she was completely different from the monsters that’d had the nerve to call themselves doctors.He relaxed even further. 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Smoak. I’m Dr. Minkowski,” she said, holding a hand out to Felicity who shook it gratefully. The doctor looked to him next. “And this is…” Her eyes got wide and he knew she recognized him. 

He extended his hand. “Oliver Queen,” he replied. “I’m the father.” 

Wow, that felt _really_ good to say out loud. 

“Wonderful, thank you for coming,” Dr. Minkowski said as she sat down on a little rollaway stool.“Your urine definitely tested pregnant but everything else looked normal. Now, I have some standard questions to ask you, Felicity, if you could just answer them to the best of your memory.”

Oliver sat and listened while the doctor rattled off some standard sounding questions and Felicity answered. He paid extra close attention when she talked about what Felicity should limit in her diet and what activities were safe versus unsafe. Felicity nodded her head as though she already knew this and he wondered if she’d read all this in the book he’d bought her when they first came home from the compound. 

“Sounds like everything is going well so far,” the doctor said. “Your weight and blood pressure look good, your health history is fine. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

“Are we going to find out how far along I am?” Felicity asked. 

“Yes. I will be doing a trans-vaginal ultrasound here in a moment and we’ll be able to locate and date the pregnancy and give you a due date.”

Felicity was clearly looking forward to that and so was he. He’d never been here before, in this position and it was new and exciting. Dr. Minkowski had him get up and go stand next to Felicity as she laid back on the exam table. He watched as the doctor wheeled around a machine and set it up on the other side of Felicity. He looked down and saw Felicity biting her lip and looking rather nervous. While the doctor adjusted Felicity’s feet in the stirrups at the bottom of the exam table and situated the drape to afford her some privacy, he reached out and took her hand. He gave it a little squeeze to let him know that he was just as nervous as she was, in that moment. 

He tried not to look too closely at the wand that was attached to the machine, knowing where it would have to go. He simply held her hand tighter as the doctor warned Felicity that it would be a little cold and uncomfortable at first. After a moments preparation, the doctor moved the wand under the drape and Oliver leaned down to press a kiss to Felicity’s forehead, hoping it might distract her. 

Her smile was more of a grimace but the soft look in her eyes he saw as he drew back told him that she appreciated the gesture. 

Dr. Minkowski had the screen turned towards her, so all Oliver could do was watch her face as she studied it. Her brow was furrowed in concentration and she revealed absolutely nothing. Felicity must have noticed the same thing because she muttered quietly enough for him to just barely hear, “I bet she’d be _amazing_ at poker.”

He had to bite back a chuckle at that. 

“Is everything looking okay, doc?” he asked after a moment. 

Dr. Minkowski nodded and made a few notations on in Felicity’s file. Then, she set it aside and smiled at them both. “Yes, I wanted to get the boring stuff out of the way first.”

He was just about to ask what came next when the doctor turned the monitor towards them. It took Oliver a long moment to figure out what he was looking at; he saw a lot of grey static. 

“This is the inside of your uterus,” Dr. Minkowski said to Felicity. “Everything looks good. And here…” There as pause as the doctor brought up a cursor on the screen, “…is your baby.”

Oliver’s breath caught in his throat as he leaned forward to get a better look. Amidst all the static was an oblong black shape and affixed to the side of that shape was something that looked not unlike a jelly bean. It was hardly enough to look at but it made his heart squeeze inside his chest and suddenly, he felt like he might cry. That was his baby. His child, created with Felicity. It was everything he’d hoped for for so long but hardly dared to put a voice to.Felicity squeezed his hand and he looked down to see her staring at the screen just as raptly as he had. 

“And it’s….” Felicity trailed off, biting her lip. 

“Your baby is just fine. You’re measuring at 6 weeks, 1 day, which is perfectly in line with when you told me you remembered having your last period. Your due date is March 15.”

Tears pricked at his eyes as he looked down at Felicity. She was gazing up at him, her own eyes glassy.He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. 

“Can we hear the heartbeat yet?” he asked, suddenly wanted desperately to hear that life-affirming sound. 

“It’s a little early yet to hear it,” the doctor explained, “but you _can_ see it.” 

Using the pointer again, Dr. Minkowski pointed out where to look and after fiddling with the display a little, Oliver could see it. It was a small flashing, almost like a strobe light.

“That’s the heartbeat. Right now it’s measuring at about 170 beats per minute, which is perfectly normal for this gestational age.”

Oliver didn’t have words for everything that was crowding his heart.The doctor seemed to recognize this and she smiled gently at them. She withdrew the probe from Felicity and turned the machine off.He instantly missed the small, fuzzy and distorted view of his child in Felicity’s womb. 

“I’ve printed out some pictures for you and I’ll leave you two to have a moment and for Felicity to get dressed again. Once you’re ready, meet me outside the room and we’ll discuss a few things, I’ll give you some literature, and we’ll set up your next appointment.” 

Dr. Minkowski handed him the photos and slipped out of the room. Oliver stood there, holding the little grainy images and felt his heart swelling unbearably in his chest. He wanted this. He wanted this so _badly_ but he couldn’t force a choice on Felicity. They had to decide this together. Depending on how she was feeling, it could be the hardest decision he’d ever made in his life. 

***

Oliver tried not to feel too encouraged by Felicity making another appointment in four weeks to see Dr. Minkowski again. It didn’t mean she’d made a decision or anything and that appointment could always be cancelled. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too much. But still, the hope flared in his chest like a bright flame. 

They went to grab something to eat after leaving the appointment, before he needed to head to his press conference. There was a Chinese place not too far from City Hall, where he’d be making the statement and he knew Felicity loved the pot stickers there. 

They waited for their food and Oliver wondered how to start this conversation. He was still mulling it over when Felicity spoke up. 

“Can I see them?” she asked, indicating the pictures he had in his suit coat pocket. They’d been there since Dr. Minkowski had handed them over. 

Oliver pulled them out and handed them over and watched as she looked through them. Did she feel the same pulling in her heart that he did? Or did she feel nothing? 

“What are you thinking?” he asked, unable to hold back any longer. 

“I never expected to feel this way,” she whispered, lingering on the last snapshot. Then she looked up and met his eye. “I’ve been so confused, ever since that day in that awful office.”

Oliver could understand that. “I know, so have I.”

“I didn’t know what the answer was. And so many times, I’ve just… _forgotten_ about it. That I’m even pregnant at all. I have no real symptoms or anything, it’s been easy to just push it to the back of my mind,” she admitted. “And I couldn’t really wrap my mind around making a decision. It just didn’t feel real.”

He’d felt the very same thing. Especially while dealing with the doctors and readjusting to life back in Star City, this whole thing had taken a backseat. 

“But now… as soon as I saw that little peanut on the screen, it felt like everything became clear.”

Oliver almost didn’t dare to breathe. “What are you saying?”

“I know we need to make a decision together on this, but… as soon as I saw that baby and saw that heartbeat, I just knew in my heart; I want this baby. Regardless what happens with us. I want this.”

Relief hit him so strong that he shut his eyes against it and just savored it. She wanted the baby. Thank _god_. 

Felicity must have taken his reaction the wrong way, however, because the next thing she said was, “Oh! I mean, I think we should still discuss this. I’m not making a decision for both of us, I’m just saying what I decided I want. It’s a jumping off point, actually, for negotiations—“

Oliver cut her off. “Felicity. No… I’m just _relieved_. Because I had the same reaction in that office. I want this baby too.”

The relief he felt was mirrored on her face and her smile was simply breathtaking. They both laughed a little, and he was so glad that this wasn’t a decision either of them would have to fight over. 

“I just realized while we were in there that I couldn’t fathom getting rid of this baby. I know we’re not together but I think that if we both want this baby, we can make this work.” 

Now, Oliver felt a different sort of pang in his chest. “Of course we can make this work,” he told her. “But… are you saying there’s no hope for us? Because I still love you, Felicity. I meant what I said in those vows. You are my always. That’s never going to change for me.”

Their food was delivered right then, interrupting them and Oliver had to bite back his frustration as the nice waitress set up their plates and the pot of tea for them to share. Felicity thanked her and with a smile, she left, leaving them alone again. Oliver watched as Felicity poured his tea and then picked at her food. 

“Felicity?”

“I know how you feel, Oliver.Believe me, I know your feelings haven’t changed. Neither have mine.” 

His heart sped up a little and he tried to calm himself by pouring her tea and then taking a sip of his own. When he felt a little steadier, he asked her, “You still love me?” 

God, he was scared of her answer. 

Her grey-blue eyes softened and she reached across the table to cover his hand with her own. “Of course, I do. Oliver, you said your love is never going to change, that I am your always. What makes you think it’s any different for me?”

His throat was suddenly dry and he licked his lips. “But when you broke up with me, you said it was over. That there was no fixing this. To never offer you the ring again.”

She withdrew her hand and he missed her warmth almost immediately. “I did say that. I also said that you’d never change. But I was hurt at the time, Oliver, and I did that thing I always do that I _hate_ … I lashed out at you.”Her eyes watered a little. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Of course you can change. You _have_ changed. I was just… scared. And angry. And hurt.”

“Felicity, it’s okay. I understand. You had every right to be hurt.” And she did. He wouldn’t begrudge her anything because this breakup was on _him_. He was the one who abused her trust and if she lashed out because she was hurt? She had every reason to be. What she’d said had upset him, had hurt him too, but he wasn’t naïve enough to believe that breakups were a two way street. 

“So forget what I said. It can be fixed,” she told him. 

His heart wanted leap right out of his chest. “Felicity… do you…?” Oliver barely knew what to say. 

“But,” she cut in, “I’m going to need some time.”

Was he breathing? It didn’t feel like it. “Time?”

Felicity nodded and she smiled a little, reaching out for his hand again. “A lot has happened in the last six months, Oliver,” she reminded him. “I just want to take some time, go help my mom move out of her place in Vegas, think things over.”

Donna was moving to Star City, to be closer to Quentin and to her daughter. Oliver thought it was about time. Still, Vegas was so far away and given how he felt the need to be close to Felicity since their abduction, the thought of her being so far away made him uneasy. But he’d give this woman just about anything she asked for, even if it was time and space. 

“Okay, Felicity,” he said after a long moment. He watched as she blew out a breath she’d been holding. “I will give you whatever you need, you know that. But I will miss you.”

“Oh, Oliver. I’ll miss you too. But it won’t be for long. A week, maybe two at most.”

It didn’t sound bad, but he knew the reality would be hard. So he just nodded, looking down at his plate. “Will you call me?” he asked quietly. 

“Yes, of course I will.”

“And you’ll think about… us?” 

“I will. I promise.”

“I just… I want you to know that I’m sorry, Felicity. I’m so sorry that I lied to you about William. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

One of her eyebrows lifted. “Really? You do realize you’ve peed on a cop car _and_ slept with Isabel Rochev.”

Oliver grinned. If she could joke about it, maybe she almost ready to forgive him. “I know. And that’s how badly I messed up with you. I will never stop trying to make it up to you.”

Felicity blinked rapidly and he saw her eyes shining. “Oliver… you don’t have to. I meant what I said. I know you’ve changed. I know you’re trying. I’m trying too.”

“Felicity, that’s— It’s okay. That’s all I can ask for.”

“You don’t have to excuse me but, god, it’s one of the many things I love about you. You always give me so much credit, even if I don’t always deserve it.”

“You _always_ deserve it.”

“You’re making it very difficult to go to Vegas now, you know,” she told him. “And I know this might look like the breakup all over again, that I’m just walking away—“

“It doesn’t. I understand. You want to help your mother and you need to think. I need to focus on launching my campaign for mayor again and I should probably do some thinking too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” he said. 

With the air cleared, at least a little, it was easier to relax and eat their meal. Felicity asked him about the campaign, what he planned to say at the press conference. She urged him to stay in the loft while she was gone. He asked her about Palmer Tech and how things were going with Mr. Dennis and the board. She rolled her eyes and said she had it under control. Of course they weren’t happy about her going to Vegas, but she promised she would stay in constant touch with the company while she was away this time. 

All in all, when they parted ways after the meal, Oliver felt better about many things. He was going to be a father and there was hope for his relationship with Felicity. He just needed to be patient for a little while longer. As he hugged her on the curb, he didn’t want to let go, _ever_. But he would. To give them a chance, he would let her go. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity goes to Vegas to help her mother move (and to have time to think). Oliver does a lot of thinking as well, but ultimately, he knows exactly what he wants. Does she want the same thing?
> 
> Lyrics from [Birdy’s “Wings”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v2_VQxUxmc)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read along with me as I’ve posted this. I wanted to see if I could do a “post as I go” story and I DID. I still prefer writing it all out ahead of time and posting it all at once, one update a day, but this works. It really was a great challenge, for me as a writer. And everyone who came along with me, gave me feedback and encouragement along the way, that means the world to me. 
> 
> Before the usual self-doubt creeps in, I want to believe that this is some of the best writing I’ve done so far. Ultimately, you guys will be the judge of that. At the very least, I hope I’ve lived up the hopes you had in this story and done these characters and their relationship justice.

_Oh lights go down_

_In the moment we're lost and found_

_I just wanna be by your side_

_If these wings could fly_

_For the rest of our lives_

 

Felicity left the next morning. Oliver drove her to the airport and thought he did pretty good by not squeezing her as hard as he wanted to when she hugged him goodbye. Also, he let her go when he felt her arms loosen around him. But, he found he couldn’t watch as she disappeared into the terminal, pulling her rollaway carry-on behind her. 

Watching her leave was probably something he’d always have a hard time doing. 

Dealing with campaign business kept him busy all day long. Thea once again stepped in to be his campaign manager, though Alex wasn’t around this time to lend his own expertise; Thea told him Alex had left town around the time they had, unwilling to work for Ruvè once he caught wind of her involvement with HIVE. They were on their own, mostly. Felicity had made a generous campaign contribution, even though he hadn’t asked her to, which gave their operation a much needed shot in the arm. 

So he’d spent the day recording television ads and going over his platform and plans for the city with Thea. It’d kept his mind off Felicity. That night at the bunker, her absence was more obvious but Curtis offered to man the comms while Felicity was gone and once Oliver got into the rhythm of the patrol he and Dig were running, he felt a lot better. 

But later that night, back at the loft without her, he couldn’t ignore that she as 1000 miles away from him. Even though it was well past midnight, Oliver tossed and turned in the bed he’d shared with Felicity, hoping her scent on the sheets would soothe him. If anything, it intensified the ache in his chest. After about three hours of fruitless effort, he got up and returned to the bunker. There, he could work out until he exhausted himself, then collapse on to the cot in the sleeping quarters. 

It was a few hours later when Dig came strolling into the bunker. Oliver was doing some circuit training in the weight room when he came in. Dropping the weights he’d been lunging with, Oliver stood up, breathing hard. 

“What are you doing here so early?”

Dig shrugged. “I often stop in around 6 am in the morning, do some workout. You know that.The better question is what the hell are _you_ doing here so early. You look like you’ve been going for hours.”

Grunting, Oliver grabbed his water bottle and took a long drink. Then he wiped at his forehead with his towel. He was _dripping_. “That’s because I have been.”

“Any particular reason you spent the night trying to kill yourself in the gym here?” Dig asked. 

Oliver shrugged and then sighed. It was pointless to try to hide anything from John Diggle. The man probably already knew and was just waiting for him to say it himself. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. 

“Because Felicity’s gone?”

“Yeah. It’s just so… quiet.And empty.”

“You miss her.”

“Of course, I miss her!”

“Have you called her?”

Oliver rolled his shoulders. “No. I didn’t want to seem too clingy.”

“Oliver, man, you know that’s a bunch of bullshit, right? There’s nothing wrong with letting her know you’re thinking about her.”

“I don’t even know what to say…”

“How about you start with a simple ‘I miss you’ or ‘I’m thinking of you’?” Dig smirked at him. “Seems obvious, but what do I know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Oliver grumbled. He knew his friend was right. 

He sparred with Dig for a little while before stopping to grab some breakfast. It was just a granola bar and a cup of coffee, brewed in Felicity’s fancy coffee pot she’d insisted they put in the bunker when setting the place up. Later, when he was leaving to meet with the city council, he tapped out a quick text while walking the few short blocks to the town hall. 

**Hey. How’s it going down in Vegas? - OQ**

There was a few minutes before his phone buzzed back and in that length of time he’d almost convinced himself that Felicity was going to ignore his message. When he saw her name flash on his screen, his heart leapt and he hurriedly unlocked the phone so he could read her reply. 

**Hot. And frustrating. My mom is a bit of a packrat and she didn’t want to throw away ANYTHING. Poor Quentin was about ready to lose his mind, trying to explain his apartment isn’t big enough for all of it. - FS**

Oliver chuckled, picturing the stand off. 

**I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. - OQ**

Felicity’s reply was almost instant. 

**Already has. That’s the problem. They’re ‘making up’ right now.** **\- FS**

The emoji making the disgusted face made him laugh out loud. 

**I miss you.** He paused, his finger hovering over the delete button. After a moment, he decided to commit to it. In for a penny, in for a pound. **Been thinking of you since you left. - OQ**

He hit send and blew out a nervous breath. He hoped it wasn’t coming on too strong… 

**I miss you too. xo - FS**

Oliver stared at the message for a long moment, nearly walking into a lamppost before he stopped and just it sink in.She missed him too. And that “xo”… that was a kiss and a hug, right? He’d have to ask Thea, just to be sure, but he was pretty certain… 

Smiling, Oliver tucked his phone back into his pocket and continued down the street with a bounce in his step. 

***

_I'm in a foreign state_

_My thoughts they slip away_

_My words are leaving me_

_They caught an aeroplane_

_Because I thought of you_

_Just from the thought of you_

 

Two weeks later, Oliver was riding in the back of the team van while Dig drove and Thea sat in the back, cleaning her arrows. They’d just finished a night’s patrolling, having stopped a sexual assault behind one of the clubs downtown and halted a robbery in progress. Not too bad.After those successes, Oliver had called it a night for the team; the election was tomorrow and he wanted to try to get a decent night’s rest. 

Earlier that day, he’d gone on the live broadcast of the evening news to remind citizens to vote. Thea had suggested it and he agreed that it couldn’t hurt.And with that, campaigning was done. Not that he’d had to do much anyhow; he was running uncontested and everyone was pretty enthusiastic about him taking the job, seeing as how he’d had such a record percentage of the write-in vote in the last election. 

Now, it was just a matter of waiting. Team Arrow business had distracted for the evening but now, even that was done. 

The streets had been quiet ever since their return from the compound. Mostly, it was just him, Dig and Thea patrolling, with Curtis filling in on the comms when they needed him. So far, they hadn’t had anything more exciting than a burglary ring working the gas stations and convenience stores on the edge of town. That had only taken two nights to break up. Other than that, each night was just the usual patrolling. And Oliver felt Felicity’s absence keenly. Curtis did a great job, but Felicity was the heart of their team. She always had been. 

Tonight, the only plans he had for the rest of the night were to spar with Dig and Thea, do some sets on the salmon ladder and clean some of his equipment. It felt right to take it a bit easy the night before the election. Not that he was nervous, but… well, okay. He was nervous. It was a huge undertaking and he felt both of his parents’ influence in what he was doing. He hoped he could help his city this way, in the light of day. 

Dig pulled the van into the bunker garage and Oliver had the door open and was out before he’d even turned off the engine. 

“You’re quiet tonight, man,” Dig observed as he got out and slammed the door. 

Oliver shrugged. “A lot on my mind.”

“He misses Felicity,” Thea supplied helpfully as she passed them on her way to the main room of the bunker. 

Dig snorted. “You talk to her today?”

“She called me this morning,” Oliver replied. What he didn’t say was that the twenty minute conversation had been way too short to suit him. Hearing her voice was great, but it had nothing on having her right in front of him. 

“She’ll be back soon,” his friend predicted. Oliver didn’t reply as he followed him down the stairs to the main room. 

She’d said two weeks at most and it was two weeks now. He hated to be petulant and he knew that she needed the time. In all truth, the time had been valuable to him as well. It wasn’t that he needed to remember his love for Felicity, but he did need to remember to treat their relationship as a full partnership. He was no longer on his own, he hadn’t been for four years now. He trusted Felicity, and the rest of his team, with Green Arrow business. It as past time to trust Felicity with the rest of his life as well. She deserved that level of commitment from him. 

But he’d already worked that out in the first week she’d been gone. Now, he was just waiting for her to come back and waiting for a chance to make things up to her. And he was about six days past done doing only that. 

As soon as he changed out of his Green Arrow costume, he’d give her a call, ask her when she was coming back. If she didn’t have an answer, he was going to fly to her. Election results or not. 

As he descended the stairs, he heard Thea talking to someone. But since Dig was right in front of him… was she on the phone? But then he heard another voice that made him stop in his tracks.

_Felicity_. 

“Quentin and my mother are driving up from Vegas so it’ll be a couple days before they’re back here,” Felicity was telling Thea. “But that’s fine by me because after the last two weeks, I have had more than my fill of _both_ of them.”

Thea chuckled. She was leaning against the desk that Felicity was sitting at and it made Oliver’s heart squeeze… it looked like she’d never even left. “Is that why you’re back now without telling anyone?” his sister asked. 

“Oh, yes. They offered for me to ride up with them but, oh god, hours on end stuck in a car with them? My mother making all manner of innuendos? I couldn’t, Thea. I just _couldn’t_.So I flew back tonight.”

“I don’t blame you.”Thea gave a sympathetic shudder. 

“Felicity! You’re back!” Dig greeted loudly, bounding up the steps to the dais two at a time. Felicity jumped up from her chair and he enveloped her in a huge hug, swinging her around. Oliver hung back but his heart was racing. She was _here_. 

Her eyes fell on him as Dig set her back down and immediately, tension filled the room. 

“Hi, Felicity.”

“Hey, Oliver.”

Their friends seemed to notice right away because Oliver saw Dig elbow Thea and offer to split an order of fries at Big Belly with her before they headed home for the night. His sister winked and nodded. 

“See you guys tomorrow,” she announced, pulling Dig towards the elevator by the hand. 

They left without another word, leaving Oliver and Felicity alone together. 

Awkwardness replaced the tension and Oliver stayed where he was, watching her, trying to figure out where her head was at. They’d been texting and talking on the phone the last two weeks and he thought things were going well between them. But neither of them had ever discussed their relationship or what had happened when they were kidnapped. The most he’d done was ask how she was feeling. The most she’d done was tell him she felt fine. 

It was like they were both waiting until she was back to talk about _them_. 

After a long moment, Felicity blew out a breath and pointed at the other chair. “Why don’t you sit down? You’re making me nervous.” 

Oliver rolled the chair closer to her and dropped into it. He was still in his leathers and probably should have changed before having this conversation, but he wasn’t about to delay it any longer. It’d already been _two weeks_. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, defaulting to the safest question he could think of at the moment. 

“Tired. But I think that’s normal,” she replied. 

“Maybe we should table this conversation until you’ve had some sleep,” Oliver suggested. As much as he wanted to finally talk this through with her, if she needed rest, that was more important. 

“No, I want to talk about it now,” she insisted. “Oliver, I’ve been exhausted for weeks now, even before we knew who we were. I just didn’t know _why_. I can work around it, I promise. I’d rather talk to you right now.”

There went his heart again. “Okay,” he agreed, grateful that his voice sounded steadier than the rest of him. “Were you able to get any thinking done while you were away?”

Felicity nodded and he noticed her teeth biting into her lower lip. “That’s actually the bulk of what I wanted to talk to you about. I had a long conversation with my mother while I was there.”

“Oh?What about?”

“About, well… it was about my dad. It was the night that Quentin and my mom’s fight was at it’s worst and he walked out to go get some air and my mom was sobbing and I was trying to reassure her that he wasn’t like dad, he wasn’t leaving her, he just needed a break… And that’s when she told me the truth about my dad leaving us.”

“The truth? You’ve always told me he left when you were seven, just up and took off one day and you never saw him again.”

“That’s what I always thought and my mom encouraged that. But it turns out that we were the ones who left, not him. I’m not sure why, I don’t know what was going on, but whatever it was, it spooked my mom. And she didn’t want to be around it, she didn’t want _me_ around it. From what she told me, she didn’t think we were safe with him. So she packed me up and we left in the middle of the night.”

“You don’t remember any of this?” he asked. 

“Not really. I mean, I remember driving to Vegas, but I thought he’d left us and that’s why we moved.”

“Oh… wow.”

“Yeah, _wow_ is right. I was so surprised and shocked that my mom would have lied to me about something like that. I had to take a minute. I went outside to… I don’t know, I guess I thought I’d go somewhere but I found Quentin sitting on the porch. I was kind of mad that my mom would keep that kind of information me and I vented about it a bit to Quentin. And he put it in perspective for me.”

“How so?”

“He told me that my mom was just trying to protect me. Just like he’d been trying to protect Laurel by working with Darhk. And how you were trying to protect William by keeping him a secret from me.”

Oliver looked down at his hands, where he had them folded together. Then he met her eyes and nodded. “He’s right. I know it was the wrong choice, the wrong thing to do, but in the moment, I was absolutely driven by two things; I thought it was the best way to protect William and still be able to get to know him and I worried that if you knew, you’d leave me.”

“Oliver…” A line formed between her eyes signaling her frustration. 

“I know, I know. Wrong thing to do. I didn’t have the faith in _us_ that I should have had. Or in you. And I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve already apologized,” Felicity pointed out. “And anyway, what Quentin said made me think. My mom left my father because she didn’t trust him. But, Oliver, he was a _bad_ man. He was involved in some shady things. I still don’t know what exactly, but I know he was wanted by the FBI. He kept a lot of things from my mother and when she found out, she ran for the hills and took me with her. It made me think of us.”

This didn’t sound good. “You thought about how you couldn’t trust me?”

Felicity smiled gently at him. “The opposite, actually. I thought about how I trusted you from the start, even when I didn’t have much of a reason to. And then I found out your secret and about all the illegal stuff you were doing and instead of running the other way, I stuck by you.”

“You have no idea how glad I am that you did.”

“It was the right thing to do,” she said, matter of factly. “Trusting you comes easy to me. There’ve been times where I’ve gotten in my own head and wondered if that was a problem, that maybe I shouldn’t. When we broke up, I did what my mom cautioned me not to do, back when you and I first came back to Star City. She told me not to get in my own way and I did that, a bit. I mean, you helped.Lying to me and keeping me out of decisions like sending William away was wrong, but instead of trying to work things out with you, I ran. I ran like my mother ran. Except, unlike her, I ran away from where I was supposed to be. My mom and dad didn’t have the relationship we had. They loved each other, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t _everything_. Oliver, you and I aren’t just lovers. We’re partners and best friends and you are the most important person in my life. What we have goes beyond love and marriage. And I realized I don’t want to throw that away without fighting for it.”

Oliver stared at her, his mouth open and his eyes wide. Tears were shining in Felicity’s eyes but she was holding them back. “Felicity…”

“I’m tired of not being with you, Oliver Queen.I love you just as much today as I did the day we left Star City last year. Or when we made love in Nanda Parbat. Or when you asked me out on that terrible first date. Or when you told me you loved me to fool Slade. Or when you showed up in the backseat of my car, bleeding to death.I cannot imagine raising this baby we made without you by my side every step of the way. I don’t want to. I want you in my life.”

Oliver as up out of his seat before she’d finished talking. He walked to her and pulled her up out of her chair so that she fell against his chest. He didn’t even wait for her to get steady on her feet before he was cupping her face in his hands and tipping her head up. Then, he was kissing her. This wasn’t the soft, slow and tender kiss they’d shared in their bed the day of her doctor appointment when they’d woken up tangled together. This was needy and desperate and clutching. 

He swallowed her moans as he moved his hands from her face back into her hair. She was wearing it down, allowing him to plunge his fingers into the golden waves and grip them, holding her there as he stroked his tongue against hers. His heart pounded and his senses were full of her; her taste and scent and the feel of her softness against his hardness… This was where he belonged. It’s also where she belonged and now that he knew she agreed, he was never letting her go again. 

Felicity pulled away, gasping for air and Oliver dove in to her neck, sucking kisses underneath her ear so that she was squirming and panting and grabbing at him. “Oliver,” she moaned and Oliver bit into her skin a little to keep himself from groaning too loud. His name on her lips like that did things to him that he couldn’t begin to explain. 

And, just like that, he realized just how uncomfortable this Green Arrow suit could get. 

“Felicity,” he groaned, reluctant to pull his lips from her skin so her name was muffled. 

“Mmm?”

“Let’s go back to the loft?” he suggested. 

She drew back and he saw the mischievous glint in her eyes that he missed so much. “Are you sure you don’t want to give the conference table a go? Or your bunk in the living quarters? Or this chair here…?”

“No,” he cut her off. “As much as I want to take you on every surface of this bunker, at least twice, right now I want you back in our bed.”

Her cheeks pinked but her eyes were darkened. She nodded. “Okay, yeah, I can work with that.”

Chuckling, Oliver dipped his head to drop another kiss on her lips, unable to resist. “Wait just five minutes, so I can change out of this and then, Ms. Smoak, you are _mine_ for the next twelve hours.”

“At _least_.”

His heart knocked inside his chest. “Yes. At least.”

***

_Oh lights go down_

_In the moment we're lost and found_

_I just wanna be by your side_

_If these wings could fly_

_Oh damn these walls_

_In the moment we're ten feet tall_

_And how you told me after it all_

_We'd remember tonight_

_For the rest of our lives_

 

Oliver held himself back, somehow, the entire way over to the loft. Riding in the elevator, waiting while she unlocked the door, following her inside… he had no idea how he managed it. It felt like he had a tiger on a leash, just waiting to be released. Every moment that went by, that tension coiled tighter and tighter. 

His passion must have shown clearly on his face because when Felicity turned after setting her purse down on the bar in the kitchen, her eyes widened while her cheeks turned pink. His eyes drifted to the neckline of the blouse she wore, wanting to refamiliarize himself with just how far that blush extended down her chest. 

Intent and focused solely on her, he took a step towards her. Felicity smirked as she edged away from him, keeping the distance between them constant. He recognized what she was doing. They’d played like this over their summer away; on vacation and then again in their home in Ivy Town. She liked making him chase her. And he liked hunting her down. The way the tension built, the anticipation, the adrenaline… it always resulted in explosive, mind-blowing sex. And when he caught the glint in her eye as she backed away from him, he knew that’s exactly what Felicity was wanting. 

God help him, he wanted it too. 

“Felicity,” he growled, continuing to advance slowly towards her. 

She dragged her eyes down his body, appreciating the suit he’d put on after changing out of his leathers and sending a clear message that she liked what she saw. But she didn’t stop moving towards the stairs, backing away just as steadily as he advanced. 

“I need to get my hands on you,” he told her. 

“You gotta catch me first,” she taunted before turning and bolting up the stairs. 

Grinning, Oliver set off after her. She was quicker than a person would expect, making it up the stairs with him hot on her heels. In fact he could have grabbed her ankle but he didn’t want to risk her falling and hurting herself. No, he’d chase her and indulge this fantasy, but he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. He had to protect her _and_ the baby she carried. 

Just thinking about her carrying his child made a primal hunger surge through his veins and he growled as she dashed down the short hall to their bedroom door. He nearly caught as she had to pause to open the bedroom door but, with a shriek, she got it open and bolted inside. 

She was laughing and so was he, but he was also completely focused on her, on the way her chest heaved with exertion, the high color on her cheeks, the way her eyes were lit up. He needed her underneath him _yesterday_. 

Felicity ran to the other side of the bed, placing it between them. They stood there, facing off with one another. Oliver lifted one of his eyebrows and began to unbutton his shirt. Felicity bit her lip and began to do the same with her blouse. He watched as her skin was slowly revealed, just brief flashes of creamy, smooth skin as her fingers worked the buttons. He threw his own shirt to the floor and started on his belt, growing more impatient. 

He loved how her eyes focused on him, watching as he revealed his body to her. She let her own shirt slip from her shoulders, leaving her in a bra and skirt. Her fingers danced along the waistband of her skirt while he shoved his own trousers down his legs, kicking off his shoes and then the pants until he was left in only his boxers. Boxers which were straining to contain his heated erection. He was already so hard, just from watching her, just from the anticipation of her. 

The blush that colored the skin of her neck and chest deepened as she looked at where he was hard and straining for her. She reached behind her, unzipping the skirt and letting it fall until she was left in just her bra and tiny thong underwear. 

Fuck, she looked incredible. He hadn’t seen her like this in far too long. Even at the compound, they’d tried to limit their nudity since they knew they were being watched. Oliver remembered all the things he’d wanted to do to her, with her, but he’d held back because they needed to be alone, needed to be free. 

And now they were. 

He locked eyes with hers and a moment later, lunged towards her, moving around the bed faster than even he would have expected he could move. Felicity was only able to squeak before he grabbed her around the waist. She didn’t mind in the least, however, wrapping her arms around his neck and yanking him down to her for a kiss. 

It was blisteringly hot. Their tongues tangled as they fought for dominance but Oliver was determined to win this battle. He gripped a hand in her hair, holding her head tilted back as he surrounded her and his blood surged hotter as she moaned and melted against him. Her surrender fueled his desire and he lifted her up and tossed her directly into the center of the bed. 

Felicity bounced and laughed with delight, her hair fanning out around her head. 

“I want to devour you,” he told her, climbing onto the bed after her. 

“Oliver…” She was already breathless, just how he liked. 

He started down at her feet, moving slowly up, kissing along her skin and enjoying each shiver she made. When he got to her knees, he pulled them apart, spreading her for him. He regarded the skimpy pair of underwear which lay in his way before laying a kiss on the inside of her knee.Then, he lifted his head. 

“Are you attached to this pair?” he asked her, bringing up a finger to toy with the edge of the underwear where it sat on her hip. 

Felicity shook her head, lifting up on her elbows to watch him. Her lips were quirked up in a smile, her eyes dark with desire. He loved her like this. 

“You sure?” he asked, tucking his fingers underneath the elastic and lace. 

“Positive.”

Without taking his eyes off hers, he yanked hard, tearing the garment. He pulled it from her body and tossed it over his shoulder, enjoying how her grin widened. She loved when he tore her underwear. Surely not if he did it all the time, but he’d always saved it for special occasions before. Like that first night in Positano. Then there was their last night in Bali where he’d torn her dress in his desperation to get to her body. _That_ had been a very, very memorable night. For both of them. 

For now, he had business to attend to. He’d dreamed of this for months, even when he’d had his memories stripped from him, he’d dreamed of doing this. And here he was, hovering over her bared center… She was already dripping and, god, that was hot as fuck. Felicity always was wet for him and her desire was such a turn on. 

He groaned as he leaned in towards her, dropping kisses along her thighs. “You smell amazing, you look _amazing_ …” he whispered. “Fuck, I’ve missed you and I’ve missed this and I want nothing more than to watch you fall to pieces underneath my tongue.”

Her head dropped back for a moment as she echoed his groan. “ _Yes_ … please…”

Oliver hadn’t forgotten how badly he’d wanted to do this when they were both being held captive. He remembered the hundreds of promises he’d made to himself, that when they were free, he would worship her the way he wanted to, that he would satisfy his hunger for her in the most literal way he could think of. Now, here he was, ready to do just that. He nearly trembled with excitement as he kissed slowly up her thighs, towards her glistening center. 

Felicity was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling as she watched him and he couldn’t wait another moment. Using the flat of his tongue, he licked a stripe from her soaked entrance to her hardening clit. He lapped up her juices, making a contented noise as he did so. Fuck, she tasted just as amazing as he remembered. Maybe better, for all that they’d almost lost. 

He’d wanted to take his time, but right then, Oliver lacked the control to do so. He wanted more, more, _more_. He ate her out with enthusiasm and intensity, alternating between fucking her with his tongue and flicking at her clit. Felicity’s moans turned into cries and her thighs shook on either side of his head. He gripped her hips tightly as he plunged his tongue repeatedly inside of her, feeling her silken walls trying to grasp at him, drinking in her arousal as it flowed out of her. 

Her cries grew sharper as he brought his fingers into play, releasing one of her hips in order to dip first one finger and then two inside of her. Oliver set up a rhythm; fucking her with his fingers, reading deep inside of her and looking for that elusive spot that made her shriek. As he did that, he worked her clit with the tip of his tongue… rubbing it and then flicking it until she was a sobbing mess. 

With a wail, she finally tumbled over into a brutal release, her shoulders falling back onto the bed as she simultaneously arched against it. Her pussy clenched hard around his fingers, sucking him inside of her and he stroked her walls and that secret, spongey spot as she continued to pulse around him. His tongue gentled on her clit and he moved down to lick up her juices as he slowly withdrew his fingers. 

He moved up the bed to lay next to her, watching as she slowly came back to herself. Her skin was beautifully flushed, her chest and face glistening with sweat, her lips red and swollen from her arousal and their earlier kisses. Her hair was tangled around her head in a halo and she looked like a goddess to him. 

Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her damp shoulder. “You are amazing.”

“Me?” she said with a weak laugh. “You’re the one who reduced me to a shuddering mess using only your tongue and a couple of fingers.”

Oliver chuckled. “And I’m not finished with you yet, either. Not even close.”

Felicity grinned, her dimples showing. “Promise?”

He had to kiss her, to bring that beauty and light and heart into himself as much as he could. Moving over her, he situated himself between her still-spread legs, kissing her as deeply as he had her cunt just moments ago. She hummed and moaned around his tongue, her nails digging into his shoulder blades as she held him close. His dick was already hard enough to pound nails and he wanted nothing more than to plunge into her and relieve the ache. But he also wanted to take his time with her tonight. 

He’d thought he’d never have the chance again. 

His arms shook a little as he kissed down her neck, his lips nibbling at the soft skin just under her ear. He bit gently into the spot where her neck joined her shoulder, enjoying her deep moan and how she moved against him. His breath was coming hard as he brushed his lips over her collarbone, moving down to her breasts. 

Her nipples were already growing stiff and rosy again and he plucked them with the fingers of one hand before using his tongue to trace around the curve. Felicity whimpered and he trembled again despite himself. She shifted underneath him, bringing her legs up to bracket his hips and he felt her feet smooth along the backs of his thighs. 

“Oliver…” she said, her voice firm but husky. “What are you waiting for?”

“Mmm?” He didn’t lift his face from her breast. 

“I need you inside me,” she groaned, flexing her hips against his to prove her point. “And I know you need it as badly as I do.”

“Want to take my time….” He nipped his lips at the edge of her nipple, making her gasp. 

“C’mon, Oliver,” she coaxed, her voice low and full of emotion. “Let go. Let go with me.”

He shook his head, kissing across her sternum, not trusting his own voice just then. 

She raised her legs, wrapping them around his waist and that tilted her just perfectly so her soaked folds rubbed against his throbbing dick. Oliver cursed and buried his face for a moment in her neck. 

“Felicity,” he growled in warning. 

“Please, Oliver,” she purred. She lifted her head enough to press her lips to the underside of his jaw. His breath stuttered as she moved towards his ear. Then, he felt her teeth on his earlobe, tugging gently and he groaned low and loud. She knew all his buttons, just as well as he knew hers. 

The sensation shot through him and he pressed his hips against hers, partly to still her from writhing against him and partly to relieve some of the pressure in his cock. 

“God dammit, Felicity. I need you so fucking bad.” His head was full of her, the sight, the sounds, the smells, the feel… the taste… He was swimming in it and he ached to drown. 

“Then fuck me,” she pleaded, her lips still at his ear. 

Like a dog being let off a chain, he lost the last bit of his straining control. A noise ripped from his throat, a primal roar as he pushed off of her. For an instant, she sulked at his retreat until she noticed he was simply repositioning him. He took his dick in hand, the long, length throbbing and dark with arousal and gave it a squeeze. Felicity licked her lips and he almost could have come from the series of pornographic images that raced through his mind at the sight. _Later_ , he promised himself. 

He grabbed her hip in one hand, and using his other hand to guide him, Oliver rubbed the tip of his cock through her soft, wet folds, gritting his teeth at how warm and perfect she felt. He nudged at her clit, making her gasp and try to push her hips up towards him, but he held her firm and steady. Finding her entrance, he flexed his hips and pushed in.Just an inch. He waited a moment and then pushed in a little more. Then he withdrew slowly, grinning at how Felicity was gritting her teeth and grabbing at the sheets.He knew this slow, steady pace was tortuous for her, ratcheting up her pleasure until she was ready to go mad with it. 

He loved this. He _missed_ this. “I love you,” he rasped as he continued his slow pass of in and then out and then back in again. 

“Oliver,” she groaned, her head thrown back so she was arching away from the mattress. 

“What do you need, baby?” he asked, leaning down to brush a kiss against her damp forehead. 

“You _know_ what I need,” she grumbled but it came out as more of a whimper. He smiled, satisfied that he had her every bit as worked up as he felt. 

“I want to hear you say it,” he told her.He kept moving shallowly, barely giving them both what they really wanted but stoking their arousal higher and higher. 

“Oliver…” Her voice was low and throaty and seductive, her eyes lidded and her cheeks flushed. “Need you deeper… harder… faster… C’mon baby, you know how I like it.”

He slammed into her, filling her and they both gasped. God, she surrounded him perfectly, just like she always had, the most welcoming heat he’d ever known. “Fuck,” he breathed, “you feel amazing.”

“More,” she begged, her nails digging into his back as she wrapped her legs around his waist once more. 

“Felicity…” He pulled out and then thrust back in and her eyes rolled but she also rolled her hips impatiently. She wanted him to let go and he wanted that too. But he also knew that once he lost it, this would be over. And he was enjoying himself too much to finish now. Plus… she needed at least one more orgasm…

Oliver moved up, propping himself up more on one elbow so he could reach down between their bodies to where they were joined. She was slick and hot underneath his fingers and he easily found her clit, hard and ready. He began to move in sync with the swirling of his fingers around her hot little button. Felicity started to make loud, incomprehensible noises which Oliver remembered were always a good sign that he was doing the right thing. He worked her as he thrust, faster and faster and her cries became higher, breathier. 

“C’mon, F’licity. Come for me.”

“Oliver…”

“Come…”

He flicked harder at her clit, slamming into her so hard that he was seeing stars and an instant later, he felt her walls contract around him. Felicity gripped him hard as she wailed out her release, her voice echoing off the walls of their bedroom. 

Oliver had intended to keep going, to build her up to another climax before tumbling over himself, but her orgasm washed him away. He was utterly incapable of holding back the tide of pleasure that shot through him. He stilled, removing his fingers from her folds and gripping her hip as he emptied inside of her. 

After the waves passed, he collapsed. His arms just gave out, but at least he had the foresight to fall to the side so he didn’t crush her. Felicity chuckled as she curled against him, kissing his shoulder and brushing her fingers through his short hair. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, half into the pillow. He simply lacked the strength to lift his head just then.

“What on earth for?” she laughed, sounding breathless and fantastic. “That’s the best orgasm I’ve had in… well. Not to disparage your efforts in the compound but we were sorta hampered in there and neither of us were at our best and—“

“Felicity, it’s okay. I know. I agree,” he interrupted fondly. 

“Seriously though, I haven’t felt like that since… well, since before I was shot, actually,” Felicity admitted. Oliver turned his head and saw her cheeks pink with color. 

“Really? It’s been that long?” 

She nodded, and laid her head down on the pillow next to him. He shifted so he was turned, facing her, his face just inches from hers. “For like a month afterward I was in the hospital and in and out of surgery. Then, when I was paralyzed… well, we did what we could and it was lovely and all but…” She shrugged a little helplessly. “And then we were broken up. Certainly wasn’t getting any then… just in case you were wondering.” Her cheeks turned from pink to red. 

Oliver had to smile. “I’m glad you cleared that up. And… wow, I didn’t realize it’d been so long. I guess it’s the same for me too.”

“Even when I— When I was paralyzed and I— with my mouth?” 

Now, he laughed. “Yes. As wonderful as that was and I would definitely be interested in doing that again whenever you’re willing, it wasn’t _with you_. And that’s when it’s the best. I never come harder than when I’m inside you.”

She blinked slowly and then smiled, her face softening and her eyes twinkling. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” she told him. 

They both laughed and Oliver leaned in to kiss her softly, deeply. She melted against him, sighing softly against his lips. He sighed too, out of happiness. He was home again, and this time he wasn’t letting go. 

***

_Sunlight comes creeping in_

_Illuminates our skin_

_We watch the day go by_

_Stories of all we did_

_It made me think of you_

_It made me think of you_

 

Oliver was just putting the finishing touches on his famous french toast when he heard the soft padding steps of Felicity descending the stairs. He turned towards her and found his voice utterly lost when he saw her. 

She was barefoot, of course, her hair down and tousled around her shoulders, her face fresh and free of makeup and her glasses perched on her nose. And she was wearing his shirt. _Only_ his shirt. 

It was the button down he’d worn with his suit the day before, when he’d made the statement at the local news station. Except it looked far, _far_ better on her than it ever did on him. She’d only buttoned a few buttons, just enough to keep the shirt closed, hiding her luscious curves from his eyes.He could make out, through a gap in the fabric, that she was wearing a pair of boxer shorts. A pair of _his_ boxer shorts. The sight made his blood boil.The hem of the shirt brushed against her thighs, leaving the rest of her long, lean legs exposed for him to appreciate. 

Fucking hell, she was gorgeous. 

In fact, he was going to tell her that right now. And anytime in the future when he thought she looked especially amazing, he was going to make damn sure she knew it. 

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, stepping up and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He was wearing a pair of pajama pants, no shirt. Her hands landed on his chest, her nails scratching lightly against his skin as she lifted up on her tip toes and brushed her lips against his. She smelled amazing… like her shampoo, sleep, sex, him and that essence that belonged only to her. God… this _woman_ … 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she murmured into the skin of his neck as she dropped back down. “But before you get any ideas, I’m hungry. You took a lot out of me last night, you know.”

She didn’t sound remotely sorry about it either. Come to think of it, neither was he. 

“I made french toast,” he told her, leading the way over into the kitchen. 

She groaned. “God, I’ve missed your french toast.” 

Together, they finished up the breakfast, with Felicity transferring everything to plates (and garnishing appropriately with fresh strawberries and whipped cream). Oliver was just retrieving them both mugs of coffee while Felicity sat at the table and waited for him. He sat down, but not before leaning over and dropping another kiss on her lips. 

“I have to admit, I’m starving too. You’re not the only one who got depleted last night,” he told her, winking. 

Felicity just grinned at him. Her eyes were full of excited mischief and he was about to ask her what she was up to when he noticed something. He had his fork lifted, ready to cut into his french toast, when he noticed something sparkling in his whipped cream. He set the fork down slowly and reached into the whipped cream, drawing out a ring. His mother’s ring. The ring he’d kept all these months, after promising he wouldn’t give it back to her. 

When they’d been freed by those psychopath doctors and he’d essentially moved back into the loft, he’d tucked the ring in its box into the back of his underwear drawer. Predictable, sure. But he wasn’t likely to forget it was there, either. And, apparently, Felicity had found it while rooting around in that drawer for a pair of his boxers.She’d brought it downstairs with her and snuck it into his whipped cream which meant…

His head snapped up and he found her grinning at him still, but this time her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Is this…? Are you…?”

Felicity nodded.“Yes.”She got up from her chair and came around the table. He watched as she dropped down onto her knees next to him, placing her hand on his knee. “I found that ring in your drawer and I realized that I missed seeing it. In the few months we were engaged, I got used to having it on my finger. It’d give me a little thrill, to look down and see it there during the day, while I was at work, doing mundane tasks.

“I don’t regret giving you back the ring, when we broke up. But I think I regret telling you to keep it. I wasn’t giving you a chance or me or _us_. I was hurt, like I told you last night. So when I opened the box and looked at it this morning, the sun from the window hitting it just right and sending little rainbows out into the room… I realized… I want this ring back. If you want me to have it again.”

“Felicity,” he breathed. 

“Well?” she prompted and he noticed a little quiver in her voice. “Don’t leave a girl hanging.”

Oliver set the ring down next to his fork and reached for her. Swiftly, he pulled her into his lap. “Felicity… I can’t believe you even have to ask that. But… I never thought I’d get the chance to ask you again.”

She smiled and a tear spilled down her cheek. “I know. So I thought maybe I’d ask you this time.” 

He felt like his grin would split his face in two. “Okay, Smoak. Do your worst.”

She twisted a little on his lap and picked up the ring. She licked off the whipped cream, which made his blood pound. Then she wiped the ring off on one of the tails of her shirt before placing it in his palm.Then, she reached up and cupped his face in her hands and smiled. “Oliver Queen. You are the love of my life and the father of my baby. It would make me the happiest woman on the face of the earth if you’d be my husband. Will you marry me?”

Oliver was surprised when he opened his mouth and a choked sob came out. He felt the tears fill his eyes as he leaned forward and captured Felicity’s lips with his. She kissed him back with fervor, her own tears mixing with his. She laughed, as she pulled back, and reached up to wipe at her cheeks. 

“Is that a yes?”

“Hell yes, it’s a yes.”He took her hand and, as he’d done already twice before, slid it onto her ring finger, where it belonged. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, holding her tight as they both cried into each other’s shoulder for a long moment. 

Oliver finally released her and lifted her hand, the one with his ring properly back in place, and kissed her knuckles. The relief he felt was crushing. 

“Now, can we eat?” she asked, the twinkle back in her eyes. 

“Yes. Let’s do that. For one thing, we’re both hungry.” He set her back on her feet and she returned to her seat, lifting her fork eagerly to dive into her breakfast which was now cooling. “And when we’re done eating, I have business with you upstairs.”

“Nuh uh,” she hummed around the bite she was chewing in her mouth. 

“Why the hell not?” Oliver was already very keen to get Felicity back in bed. 

“Because we have other things we need to do.”

“Like _what_?”

“Well, we both need showers, for one,” she pointed out, stabbing another bite of french toast. 

“Shower. Singular.” He took a bite and narrowed his eyes at her, enjoying the banter. 

“Oliver…”

“It’ll save time!” he insisted. 

“Somehow, I doubt that,” she muttered. “Okay, shower, singular. And then we need to go to our assigned polling place and place our vote for mayor of Star City.”

Oliver groaned, sitting back and pushing his plate away. “I forgot about that.”

“I thought as much,” Felicity replied smugly. “But as the presumptive nominee, you need to be seen at the polls today.”

“Maybe I can give Thea a call, let her know so she can tell the local tv stations?”

“Good idea.” 

“Okay, then what?”

“Well, then we come back here and I take you to bed until the election returns come in.”

Now, he grinned. “That is a plan I can get behind. Perhaps even literally.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked, an eyebrow raised, taking a bite off her fork. She smiled at him, winking as she chewed.

“Oh yes. We need to practice for that honeymoon.”

And practice _they did_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have done a lot of things with the last half of this story, it could have gone on a lot longer than it did. As I was writing, I knew that the three big questions in the second half were going to be 1) what happens to the evil doctors 2) will Felicity want to keep the baby and 3) will Oliver and Felicity reunite. Obviously, because I don’t write stories without happy endings, I knew how those would all resolve. It was just a matter of how I drew out the telling of it. 
> 
> I couldn’t think of a good reason to draw out any of it, to be honest. Not within the framework of this particular story. Finding the doctors was relatively easy. They were evil, but not particularly bright and no match for Felicity’s skills. As for the pregnancy… I wanted there to be the question of what to do. Because of course there would be. The circumstances of this conception begs the question. But when the chips fell down, I couldn’t imagine either of them wanting to terminate. Especially not after the appointment. Regardless of their relationship status.
> 
> Now the last one was the one that could have taken a lot longer time. And I contemplated that. But I know I get frustrated sometimes reading stories where the inevitable conclusion is drawn out for no other reason than the author doesn’t want to wrap it up yet and/or likes to torment their readers.


End file.
